The Coercive Acts secured for Massachsetts the support and sympathy of almost all of the other colonies. The Virginia assembly called for a meeting of representatives from the 13 colonies and Canada to consider joint action against Parliament's encroachments on colonial rights. The meeting, known as the First Continental Congress, took place in Philadelphia in September 1774; it consisted of representatives from all 13 colonies except Georgia.

The Congress did not seek independence from Great Britain but attempted to define America's rights, place limits on Parliament's power, and agree on tactics of resistance to the Coercive Acts. In October, the delegates adopted a Declaration of Rights and Grievences that denied Parliament's right to tax or legislate for the colonies and asserted that only the colonial assemblies had that power. They grudgingly conceded Parliament's power to regulate trade. The Congress drew up the Continental Association, an agreement calling for the colonies to cease all trade with Britain until Parliament repealed the Coercive Acts. The Congress then adjourned, arranging for a second meeting in May 1775. By that time, however, hostilities had reached a breaking point between Britain and the colonists in Boston.

The first armed encounter of the American Revolution took place in Massachusetts, where the British force in Boston numbered some 3,500 men. General Gage was aware that the militia members of outlying towns were being trained and reorganized into active elements known as minutemen. Ammunition and military stores were being gathered under direction of a Committee of Safety acting for the provincial assembly. On the night of April 18-19, 1775, General Gage under orders from Lord North, sent out 800 men to seize munitions being gathered at Concord, some 18 miles from Boston. The move did not escape the vigilance of th Committee of Safety, whose mounted messangers, including a local silversmith named Paul Revere, spurred into the countryside to give the alarm. Early on the morning of April 19, the advance guard of th British force exchanged fire with a party of minutemen at Lexington; eight colonists are killed, and the British continue marching toward Concord. Lt. Col. Francis Smith, the British commander, found more mintuemen assembling near Concord. Most of the military stores had already been removed, and British attempt to seize one of the two bridges near the town was forestalled by a colonial counterattack. More minutemen were arriving and though Smith had sent back for reinforcements, took his time assembling his men for the return march to Boston. The thought did not cross Smith's mind that a force of 800 British regulars should be threatened by colonial militiamen, no matter how numerous. Due to the persistant if inaccurate sniping by minutemen from the hedges, Smith's retreat had disintegrated into chaos by the time he met with General Gage and the 1,400 strong supporting force.

The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, to face the fact that the New England colonies had taken arms against the king's troops. The delegates quickly established the Congress as the central government for "The United Colonies of America," adopted the troops engaged in the siege of Boston as their own "Continental Army," and by unanimous vote appointed George Washington as commander in chief. This was a deserved tribute to the high military reputation Washington had earned as an officer of the Virginia troops in the French and Indian War. It was also a shrewd move to nominate a Virginian, who would likely bring southern support to a war being waged by an army mostly composed of New England militia. The vote was taken on June 15; Washington received his commission on June 20 and without delay set out for Boston to take up his new responsibilities. Despite preparations for war, most Americans still hoped for reconciliation with Britain. To that end, the Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition, affirming American loyalty to George III and asking the king to disavow his ministers' policies.

Meanwhile, Gage had received reinforcements, raising the strength of his garrison to 8000 men. He now felt that his forces were strong enough to occupy the heights overlooking Boston from the north at Charlestown and from the south at Dorchester. The colonists had advance notice of his intention and on the night of June 16–17, 1200 Americans under Col. William Prescott (1726–95) occupied Breed’s Hill, overlooking Charlestown and the Boston waterfront, and began digging in. (The original purpose had been to hold nearby Bunker Hill. Although the orders were changed, the ensuing engagement is known as the Battle of Bunker Hill.) On June 17, Gage sent Maj. Gen. William Howe with about 2500 infantry to storm the position. The British were confident that in a conventional battle they could defeat the American militia. Two British assaults were beaten off with severe losses. A carefully prepared third attack penetrated the American lines. The Americans, almost out of ammunition and without bayonets, fell back in some disorder to Bunker Hill; later they withdrew from this position as well. British losses were heavy, with about 1000 men killed and wounded; the Americans lost less than half that number. Technically, the battle was a victory for the British because they had driven the Americans from Breed’s Hill, but when measured by damage inflicted on the enemy, the Americans had won.

News of the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Olive Branch Petition reached London at the same time. George III refused to receive the petition, and on August 23 proclaimed New England in a state of rebellion. Parliament followed suit by declaring all the colonists rebellious and making their ships subject to seizure. As the magnitude of British casualties at the Battle of Bunker Hill became known, the government realized that it was facing a genuine war and replaced Gage with Howe.

On July 2, 1775, Washington assumed command of the American forces with a total strength varying from 13,000 to 17,000, as men came and went almost at will. Washington devoted his immediate efforts to training and reorganizing the army. He could not press the siege of Boston without heavy artillery. For that he would have to wait until winter, when frozen roads and rivers would enable his soldiers to drag overland to Boston the cannon that had been captured on May 10, 1775, when Col. Ethan Allen of Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys and Col. Benedict Arnold of Connecticut had surprised and captured the British fort at Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain.

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