After the Boston Tea Party, the British enforced the Intolerable Acts. The colonists got together in the 1st Continental Congress to talk about what to do about the acts. They decided to boycott all British goods. After that, Lexington and Concord happened, and they got together once more at the 2nd continental Congress and decided to send the king the Olive Branch Petition which failed. They decided that peace wouldn't work, which caused the Declaration of independence to be signed.