By 1700 the British colonies on the North American mainland were remarkably different, and in
many ways isolated from one another. As late as 1760 Benjamin Franklin declared that a union
of the colonies was “not merely improbable, it is impossible,” because the colonial peoples loved
England “much more than they love one another.” Yet by 1776 many of the colonists voted to
sever their ties with Great Britain and join together to form a new nation. How did the colonists
across colonial boundaries become more aware of and interconnected with each other during this
period 1700-1776? What led the colonial leaders to unite in open rebellion against the British
crown in the years preceding 1776?
1 answer
When the British government enacted taxes that many colonists believed to be unfair, the ire of the colonists was raised. They were incensed that the king should so completely disregard the wants of good British citizens.