What led to the separation of colonists in the late 1700s?

When
talking about the lead up to the American Revolution, it is important to remember that colonists
supporting independence did not make up a majority or even a plurality of all colonists.
Colonists seeking independence made up less than one-third of all colonists, so the grievances
of the colonists were either not sufficiently widespread or not sufficiently serious to drive
the majority of colonists toward independence.

The underlying causes of the
Revolution were somewhat long-running. England passed legislation, like the Molasses
Act,...