Understatements

"Once the imperial government had announced its intention to clamp down on its North American colonists in the crucial areas of taxation, territory, and trade, the Americans responded with a wide variety of protests." -Woody Holton, Unruly Americans in the Revolution

I simply adore this quote.  Mostly because it's the largest understatement in the history of ever.  A "wide variety of protests" somehow sounds so mild and tame.  Perhaps he could be talking about some strikes- the kind with picket signs.  Or maybe some unhappy gatherings denouncing the king.  It doesn't quite seem to do justice to the Boston Tea Party, The Boston Massacre, the several boycotts, oh, and lets not forget, the Revolutionary War.  Overall, I did enjoy the writing in this article as well as the ideas presented, I just though that perhaps the incidents may not have been exaggerated enough.  I mean, this era is kind of a large part of our history; we may as well milk it.