How and why did the 13 British colonies along the eastern seaboard of North America gradually conclude in the second half of the 18th century that they should declare their independence from Great Britain?

The colonies were not in a state of economic crisis; on the contrary, they were ... colonies to set aside their differences and unanimously declare their independence? ... For their part, the British found the colonists unwilling to pay their fair share for ... first time American colonists found themselves in dispute with Great Britain.