In 1765 , the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act requiring that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London , carrying an embossed revenue stamp . The Act provoked the ire of merchants in New York , Boston and Philadelphia , who responded by placing an embargo on British imports until the Stamp Act was repealed . To present a united front in their opposition , delegates from several provinces met in the Stamp Act Congress , which convened in New York City from October 7 through 25 , 1765 . It issued a Declaration of Rights and Grievances , which it sent to Parliament . Subsequently , under pressure from British companies hurt by the embargo , the government of Prime Minister Lord Rockingham and King George III relented , and the Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766 . The colonists ' resistance to the Stamp Act served as a catalyst for subsequent acts of resistance . The Townshend Acts ( which imposed indirect taxes on various items not produced within the colonies , and created a more effective means of enforcing compliance with trade regulations ) , passed by Parliament passed during 1767 and 1768 , sparked renewed animosity in the colonies , which eventually resulted in the Boston Massacre of 1770 . Three years later , the Tea Act ( which granted the British East India company the right to directly ship its tea to North America and the right to the duty-free export of tea from Great Britain ) became law , exacerbating the colonists ' resentment toward the British government , inciting the December 1773 Boston Tea Party , and inspiring the September 1774 Suffolk Resolves
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
Continental Congress