On July 4, 1776, a secret meeting of insurgent colonists in America passed the Declaration

of Independence. War against the British had already been going on for over a year, so the declaration came as the climax of years of stormy events in America.

The impetus for the American Revolution was the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ended the struggle between the British and French for control over North America. Since the colonists were no longer frightened by the French, they ceased to rely upon the British for protection and were not as submissive as they were formerly. On the other hand, the British regarded the colonies as a source of revenue and began to impose unfair taxes upon them. The Sugar Act in 1764 and the Stamp Act in 1765 were so eagerly opposed by discontented colonists that rioting broke out. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766 as a result of the riots.

The British continued their policy of taxation without collaboration with their once obedient subjects. The Townshend Acts (a series of taxes on glass, lead, paper and tea) created such disgust that the citizens of Boston attacked British soldiers who fired upon them. A new tea tax in 1773 again consolidated Boston residents' disagreement. About fifty men disguised as Indians boarded British ships and got rid of their cargo of tea in protest against the tea tax. That was the famous Boston Tea Party. In reprisal, the British abolished the Bostonians' right to self-rule, and by passing what were referred to as Intolerable Acts in Boston, they infuriated all of the colonies and caused them to unite in protest.

Representatives from twelve colonies gathered in Philadelphia in 1774 to plan a stratagem to avoid British interference in trade and to protest the infamy of taxation without representation. The British responded that the colonies were in rebellion, and, since nothing would soothe either side, both sides prepared for war.

According to the passage, the first violent protest against the British was made in ______.

A．1776

B．1765

C．1770

D．1773