Here you see the British Men 'o War... the powerful British gunships. In May 1774, England closed Boston Harbor to punish the colonists for their anti-England actions (like the Boston Tea Party). Soon colonial militiamen were collecting supplies and weapons. They no longer trusted the British government. Massachusetts asked her neighbor colonies to stop trading with Britain. Before long few ships were seen leaving or entering the harbor, and Britain seemed like an enemy to more and more colonists.