Have been successful. 6. Read these sentences from the text:
They thought that if they crushed the spirit of [Massachusetts),
the rebellion would die before it even began. Parliament planned a
series of four acts, or laws, intended to stifle opposition in
Massachusetts. They hoped that when the one colony was
punished, the other 12 colonies would turn against it and remain
loyal to the crown.
As used in the text, what does the word "stifle" most nearly mean?