Colonial Unity: 1774

Parliament’s response to the destruction of the tea places Massachusetts under greater pressure. Boston Harbor is closed, General Thomas Gage takes control as royal governor, and British troops seize colonial gunpowder outside the town.

The response reaches beyond Massachusetts. Delegates from twelve colonies gather in Philadelphia, endorse resistance to the Coercive Acts, and work through differences among their colonies.

By October, Congress adopts the Continental Association. Towns and counties are asked to enforce a common suspension of trade with Britain. Merchants, farmers, and consumers become part of an effort extending across colonial boundaries.

The colonies are acting together, though how long that agreement can hold remains uncertain.