Introduction

relations between britain and her colonies had gone through a few cycles of depressing antagonism. The first clue that neither side was done antagonizing the other came in june 17 72, when a customs ship called te gaspe ran aground while chasing suspected smugglers off the coast of rhode island. Then over the summer, attentions in neighboring massachusetts started to rise again over the lingering issue of how to pay for the royal administration. Though the townsand duties had been mostly repealed, the remaining duty on tea now paid governor thomas hutchinson's salary. In mid 17 72, the ministry started making noises that they wanted to extend this policy to include all the judges as well