Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University. / The Peace of Paris in 1763 marked a turning point in the relationship of Great Britain with her colonies. The mother country's new territorial possessions seemed to require an increased revenue from the American colonies. However, Parliament's attempts to raise it greatly antagonized the colonists. In Massachusetts, the new Parliamentary program brought about a rapprochement between the conservative merchant and propertied classes, and the radicals. But the two allies had differing final goals. The radicals sought more self-rule, whereas many merchants, having prospered under the Old Colonial System, viewed the British Empire as the rock of their prosperity. The Navigation Acts had been advantageous to their trade, while restrictive legislation had been but mildly enforced [TRUNCATED]