The second volume of The Papers of Francis Bernard records the reaction of the royal governor of colonial Massachusetts to the tumultuous events surrounding the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765. Because the response to the new legislation in Boston set the pattern for the reaction of all the other colonies, these letters constitute firsthand observations on the birth of the American movement for independence. This is the second of four volumes of selected letters, to be followed upon completion by a calendar of documents covering Bernard’s life and career.