How did the colonies try to reach an agreement with Britain in nonviolent ways?

The colonies tried to protest against Great Britain in a variety of nonviolent ways, including mock funerals, boycotts, tea parties, and a refusal to export American goods or import British ones. They hoped these protests would convince Britain to consider their demands, but the protests were often met with harsh responses rather than compromise. 

American colonists held a mock funeral for liberty to protest the Stamp Act. They walked through the street in procession: church...

The colonies tried to protest against Great Britain in a variety of nonviolent ways, including mock funerals, boycotts, tea parties, and a refusal to export American goods or import British ones. They hoped these protests would convince Britain to consider their demands, but the protests were often met with harsh responses rather than compromise. 

American colonists held a mock funeral for liberty to protest the Stamp Act. They walked through the street in procession: church bells rang, flats were lowered, and people pretended to mourn. Once they reached the cemetery, they declared that there had been a mistake: liberty was alive. They buried a copy of the Stamp Act instead.

One of the boycotts that had an effect was implemented after the Townshend Act of 1767 placed a new tax on imported goods. Revolutionaries worked to convince people to boycott the taxed goods, which led to an increase in smuggling. As a result, Britain created admiralty courts to try these new smugglers without the need for a jury. The boycotts also boosted American manufacturing.

The Boston Tea Party is one of the most famous nonviolent acts of rebellion from the American Revolution. In response to the Tea Act, colonists took tea and threw it into the Boston Harbor in 1773. Britain responded by passing what the colonists called the Intolerable Acts.

The Intolerable Acts took an economic toll on Boston that caused the colonies to grow closer together, as other colonies sent money and goods to help Boston. As anti-British sentiment grew, colonists refused to export goods to Britain while also refusing imported shipments. This was one of the more effective methods of protest. Certain British courts even closed because they were not doing enough business—the American alternatives were reducing their profits.

Many nonviolent acts of rebellion preceded America's official declaration of independence from Britain. These involved economic and social protests.