Intolerable Acts
series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774
The Intolerable Acts Is an alternate name for the Coercive Acts, a set of laws passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1774.
The British Parliament passed these laws in part to punish the Massachusetts Bay Colony for the Boston Tea Party.
- One of the laws closed Boston Harbor until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea.
- The Quartering Acts allowed Britain to house troops wherever it wanted. All of the Thirteen Colonies were required to follow this rule, not just Massachusetts.
- The Administration of Justice Act allowed the trials of accused royal officials to take place in Great Britain if the Governor decided that the defendant could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts.
- The Quebec Act gave the Ohio country to Canada.
These laws were so harsh that the colonists called them the Intolerable Acts.
Other colonies offered Massachusetts their support. They sent supplies to Boston. The Committees of Correspondence also called for a meeting of all colonies in order to decide what to do about their problems with Britain. This led to the Continental Congress.