[1] The newspaper was heavily political and found itself constantly on the verge of being suppressed by the British colonial government, from the time of its establishment in 1770 to 1776 and through the beginning of the American Revolution.

In 1771–1773, the Spy featured the essays of several anonymous political commentators who called themselves "Centinel," "Mucius Scaevola" and "Leonidas."

They spoke in the same terms about similar issues, kept Patriot polemics on the front page, and supported each other against attacks in pro-government papers.

Rhetorical combat was a Patriot tactic that explained the issues of the day and fostered cohesiveness without advocating outright rebellion.

When articles from the Spy were reprinted in other papers, the country as a whole was ready for Thomas Paine's Common Sense, which was published in 1776.