Colonial leaders had adopted the Suffolk Resolves…
1775 CE
The colonists respond by establishing the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, effectively removing Crown control of the colony outside Boston.
Meanwhile, representatives from twelve colonies convene the First Continental Congress to respond to the crisis.
The Congress narrowly rejects a proposal that would have created an American parliament to act in concert with the British Parliament; instead, they pass a compact declaring a trade boycott against Britain.
Congress also affirms that Parliament has no authority over internal American matters, but they are willing to consent to trade regulations for the benefit of the empire, and they authorize committees and conventions to enforce the boycott.
The boycott is effective, as imports from Britain drop by ninety-seven percent in 1775 compared to 1774.
Parliament refuses to yield.
In 1775, it declares Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion and enforces a blockade of the colony.
It then passes legislation to limit colonial trade to the British West Indies and the British Isles.
Colonial ships are barred from the Newfoundland cod fisheries, a measure that pleases Canadiens but damages New England's economy.
These increasing tensions lead to a mutual scramble for ordnance and push the colonies toward open war.
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