But the slogan "no taxation without representation- swept over the land and unofficial delegates of nine colonies met in New York City in September 1765 and drew up declarations of rights and grievances. Although the hated stamp act never went into effect and was repealed in less than a year, trouble continued. .
In 1767, Parliament, reasserting its sovereign power, passed an act levying duties on tea, glass, paper, and a few other articles, only to arouse new opposition from the Colonies. In Massachusetts, British troops were used to suppress disorders, but this action led to the Boston Massacre, in which soldiers fired on citizens, under pressure, the act of 1767 was repealed and, by 1773, only a modest tax was left to uphold the principle of Parliamentary authority. But by that time the colonists had determined not to pay the tax. In Boston, Sons of Liberty, disguised as Indians, boarded ships in the harbor and threw cargoes of tea into the water, an action known as the Boston Tea Party. .
The American colonists then took a serious step. Following the leadership of Massachusetts, the colonists called the First Continental Congress to meet in Philadelphia at Carpenters' Hall in September 1774. Statesman with abilities such as are seldom found in a body of equal size, attended as delegates to the Congress. This Congress decided to cease importing British goods until its demands were met. It also provided for a meeting, if necessary, of a second Continental Congress in May 1775. .
The well-known battles of Lexington and Concord followed on April 19, 1775. The die was cast and war had begun. The Second Continental Congress met in May 1775. It provided for the raising and supplying of an army and appointed George Washington of Virginia commander-in-chief. For a year the colonists fought only for their rights as Englishmen. At Bunker Hill, Ticonderoga, and Boston, their soldiers demonstrated that they could defeat British regulars.