Korea and may other states in Asia had a tributary relationship with imperial China. Their rulers were supposed to send annual tributes - gold, jewels, animals, etc. - to the Chinese emperor. China was the center of the Asian system, the highest civilization of all and its ruler was superior to anybody else, the Son of Heaven did not have equals. It was the practice during the Ming dynasty and later.
Adams joined John Hancock, Paul Revere and James Otis in secret meetings to form the radical group the Sons of Liberty to oppose the taxation without representation. Violent protests in Boston targeted the homes of British authorities, making it nearly impossible for the British to enforce the Stamp Act.
