There is no abstract available for this thesis.

Thesis advisor: Cynthia Lyerly / This thesis analyzes the well known events and circumstances that precipitated the Declaration of Independence and the battles of the Revolutionary War under the lens of one of Boston’s common men: Harbottle Dorr. His opinions on such instances and climates as the Stamp Act, the Sons of Liberty (of whom Dorr was one), the Boston Massacre, the Tea Act and ensuing Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and the initial conflicts of Lexington and Concord, as well as the Battle of Bunker Hill give valuable insight into the mind of an everyday patriot. His powerful words emulate the very characteristics for which the Revolution is known, and for which it was fought. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2015. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: History.

No description available.

Despite the amount of scholarship on the Stamp Act Crisis, no study has used advertisements as a main source. This study attempts to show that a valuable, objective source has been overlooked, through the quantitative analysis of 5,810 advertisements before, during and after the Stamp Act Crisis from five port cities: Boston, Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, and Portsmouth. The findings reveal the colonists' strong connection to imported British luxury goods, and a lack of interest in American-made goods, especially before and after the boycott. Advertisements also demonstrate that the decision of many merchants to place the needs and expectations of their community before their own personal gain offered a rare economic opportunity for others. The colonists' devotion to imports tested the strength of the boycott, especially among Boston merchants, who continued to advertise imported goods a good deal more than any other city. This lack of dedication to the boycott on the part of the Boston merchants shows disunity among the colonies, at a time when many argue was the first instance of colonial nationalism. Capitalism challenged and undermined a commitment to communal sentiments such as nationalism. Moreover, if Americans did share a sense of nationhood during the Stamp Act Crisis, it cannot be gauged by a rejection of "Englishness."