colonial man lived longer and made more money than his peer back on the British Isles. A hefty percentage of them were multi-generational colonial residents from Mayflower-type stock that had left Europe for a reason, had zero loyalty to it, and usual carried some inborn resentment towards the home country ruling class.
Short of being given total or near-total autonomy, a push for independence was probably inevitable. It came to all of the commonwealth sooner or later.