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One of the challenges presented to each of us during our visit to Colonial Williamsburg was to remember the extreme risks taken by the colonists of that era. In 1775, the year being covered during our visit, there was no plan yet to declare independence. The colonists were upset because the British Parliament had (again) handed down a tax the colonists would have to pay.
To oversimplify the matter, Britain still had debts from the French-Indian War. Since the people of Britain were already being taxed about 28% of their income (sound familiar?), Parliament decided they could not bear further taxation. So, they decided to levy taxes upon goods imported by the Colonists. The issue with the Colonists was not the amount of the tax, but the very idea that Parliament could levy those taxes against the Colonists without their consent and those levying the taxes were not subject to them.
By defying the Crown, these folks risked being accused and convicted of being traitors. They risked losing everything, including their very lives. It's something to think about.
