In 1770, General Thomas Gage was Governor General of all British possessions in the Americas. In the century and a half since the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, we had become the freest and most prosperous population on the face of the earth. The French and Indian war, together with the war against France back in Europe had drained the British treasury and they tried to raise taxes. Britain became much more tyrannical. General Gage wrote back to London: “Democracy is too prevalent in America and claims the greatest attention to prevent its increase. A large part of the problem…