Final answer:
The most common forms of colonial protest against British policies included the formation of protest groups like the Sons of Liberty, economic boycotts of British goods, and direct actions such as the Boston Tea Party. The most effective tool for repealing the Stamp Act was the boycott of English goods, and increasingly organized efforts such as the First Continental Congress represented a unified colonial response.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most common ways of protest against British policies in the American colonies were varied and evolved over time. Initially, colonists expressed their disaffection through the peaceful assembly, petitions, and written declarations. As the situation intensified with acts seen as overreaches by the British Parliament, such as the Stamp Act and the Intolerable Acts, the colonists took to more direct forms of protest. These included the formation of groups like the Sons of Liberty, the non-importation agreements effectively boycotting British goods, and physical acts of resistance such as the Boston Tea Party, where colonists dumped tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the Tea Act.
The answer to Exercise 7.2.4 regarding the repeal of the Stamp Act is c. the boycott of English goods, which was one of the most effective forms of protest used by the colonists. This collective action demonstrated how unified economic measures could pressure Parliament to revoke legislation, which was indeed successful in the case of the Stamp Act.
Over time, protests became more organized, with institutional forms of resistance like the First Continental Congress, where delegates from the colonies coordinated their strategies and formulated a unified colonial response to British actions. These early acts of protest laid the groundwork for the eventual fight for independence from British rule.