In which year did the Massachusetts Circular Letter gain traction among the colonies?

The Massachusetts Circular Letter, drafted in 1768, was a significant document in the lead-up to the American Revolution as it encouraged other colonies to stand against British taxation and policies. Its release was timed to coincide with rising tensions over British actions such as the Townshend Acts, which imposed duties on various goods. The letter urged colonial legislatures to take a unified stance against these measures and called for nonimportation agreements in protest.

The traction gained by the Circular Letter was evident as it led to coordinated responses from several colonies. Many legislatures, spurred by Massachusetts' call for resistance, began sending their own versions or resolutions supporting the ideas presented in the letter. This widespread adoption indicated a growing sense of unity among the colonies against British rule and foreshadowed the collective colonial action that would come to characterize the period leading up to independence.

In the context of the other years presented, 1765 involves the Stamp Act protests, 1770 occurred after the Boston Massacre without the same level of collective legislative action, and 1772 was still a time of escalating tensions but not the inception of the letter's influence, which distinctly began in 1768.