In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party, mob action vigorously
enforced the boycott on tea. Merchants and residents who were
suspected of serving tea often had their places of business or
their homes searched. Culprits were tarred and feathered. Only
rarely was tea not the sole focus of the crowds' wrath:
"Sometimes all European goods found were confiscated, a sign
that general considerations about importation, luxury, and drain
of money motivated some of the rioting" (Hoerder 266). So
widespread was the mob violence that British officials were
forced to seek protection from troops. While history pays much
attention to the urban unrest of the American Revolution, much
resistance occurred in the countryside as well. During this era,
America was overwhelming rural; only about two or three percent
of the population lived in the large towns of New England and
the Middle Colonies. The chief occupation of the rural
inhabitants was agriculture. The revolutionary spirit was
clearly evident in this social class: "It