History of New England political freedoms and local democracy, which they felt was increasingly threatened by the English government. The main grievance was taxation, which colonists argued could only be imposed by their own legislatures and not by the Parliament in London. Their political cry was "no taxation without representation." A ship was planning to land tea in Boston on December 16, 1773, and Patriots associated with the Sons of Liberty raided the ship and dumped all the tea into the harbor. This Boston Tea Party outraged British officials, and the King and Parliament decided to punish Massachusetts, passing the Intolerable Acts in 1774.
George Phillips (Watertown) mentioned in a 1948 marker at the edge of the Charles River which honors him and Saltonstall at what is called Sir Richard's Landing. The text on the monument is as follows: "Here Reverend George Phillips protest in 1632 against taxation without representation struck the first note of civil liberty heard in this wilderness." Phillips also appears prominently on the Watertown Founders Monument. A Phillips Street in Watertown is likely named after him. The Phillips name appears prominently in academia with Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter prepatoratory schools, as well as the Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard. George Phillips