The Boston Tea Party was Massachusetts’s demonstration that the would not put up with the Tea Tax. Parliament’s view was that this was a direct act of vandalism toward the crown (but more toward themselves).

Four of the Intolerable Acts were a direct response to the actions of Boston and the colonists saw them as arbitrary punishment toward all the colonies for the actions of one. If the colonies were to be punished equally, maybe they thought they themselves should act united.

So when Thomas Gage sent his men into the Massachusetts countryside to haul in John Hancock and Sam Adams as well as do a “search and destroy” of “illegal munitions” in Concord, not only was the neighboring area alerted and willing to put up a fight, all of the colonies were now ready to kick the British out.