The merchants . . . of Boston, having taken into consideration the deplorable situation of the trade and the many difficulties it at present labours under on account of the scarcity of money . . . and the large sums collected . . . for duties on goods imported; the heavy taxes levied to discharge the debts contracted by the government in the late war; the embarrassments and restrictions laid on the trade by the several late Acts of Parliament . . . Boston Non-Importation Agreement, August 1, 1768

Courtesy of The Avalon Project at Yale Law School

Based on the excerpt, what motivated Boston merchants to announce a boycott of British goods?

They wanted to raise additional revenue for the Massachusetts General Assembly.

They wanted to force the colonial legislature to print more paper money.

They wanted to encourage fellow colonists to adopt the factory system of production.

They wanted to protest the effect of imperial policies on the Massachusetts economy.