The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were a series of British measures passed in 1774 designed to punish Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts were the cause for the American War for Independence because the colonists felt they were being controlled with the implement of vigorous policies in the American colonies. The Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, the Act for the Impartial Administration of Justice, the Quebec Act, and the Quartering Act were all passed as a retaliation to the Boston Tea Party and gave colonists the right to react. The Boston Port Act angered the colonists the most, the Act closed the Boston harbor to all shipping until the town had compensated the Dutch East India Company for the destruction of its tea and assured the King of it’s future loyalty. It prohibited ships from docking in Boston, those ships caught docking were confiscated along with all cargo. The Boston Port Act continued the movement of colonial unity in respect to their view of England, and colonial unification. One of the immediate consequences of closing the port were the economic damages placed on Massachusetts. The merchant class was affected by the elimination of any …show more content…
This Act deprived Massachusetts of its own charter and right to choose their own magistrates, providing for greater royal control. Prior to the Act, Massachusetts separated itself from the other colonies in the fact they had the ability to elect members of its executive council. This Act took that right away and alternatively gave the king the sole power to appoint officials. However, the Patriot leaders forcefully opposed it and forbid operation. This act of defiance towards the royal ruler was another step towards fighting the American War for Independence and breaking
It was the Tea Act. This act stated that only the British East India Company could sell or transport tea. Members of parliament passed this act because many of them had stakes in the company. At the time the British India Company was going bankrupt. This act threatened all colonial businesses by creating a monopoly. In Boston, the colonists devised a plan to resist this act. Several colonists dressed as Indians to deceive the British. These colonists seized the imported tea and dumped it into the harbor. The colonists dubbed this “the tea party.” The British responded to these actions by creating four acts jointly called the Coercive Acts. These acts closed the Boston ports to all trade, increased power of Massachusetts governor, granted trials of royal officials in Massachusetts be tried elsewhere, and allowed the new governor rights to quarter his troops anywhere. These Coercive Acts only angered the colonists more. They have strengthened their non-importation of British goods. They have also begun the forming of local militia companies.
The English government reacted to the "Tea Party" with outrage and passed the Coercive Acts, which closed the port of Boston and put the entire colony under what amounted to martial law.
As you can see Great Britain was not happy about the Boston Tea Party, and created strict punishments in the Intolerable Acts. Soon after English Parliament declared the Intolerable Acts Massachusetts was in a rebellious state.
Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which placed taxes on paper, lead, paint, and tea that was imported to New England. The colonist began to boycott these goods which angered English authorities. They placed military officials so that they could force the colonists to pay the much needed taxes. Tensions between British soldiers and colonists escalated. This lead to the Boston Massacre; it was propagandized and impassioned many settlers to rebel. In response for the unfair taxes on tea, the colonists dumped the imported tea into the harbor. People became much more ardent to their side after the incident. You were either for the revolution; a patriot, or you sided with England; a loyalist.
The Coercive Acts, or Intolerable Acts as the colonists called them, were the “last straw” to the colonists because they stripped the Massachusetts colonists of all of their freedoms by preventing them from trading goods they needed in their everyday lives, forcing them to share their private property, and taking away their established self-government. One act of the Coercive Acts was the Boston Port act in which the British formed a Naval blockade to prevent anyone from leaving the Boston Port, which meant that traders couldn’t go trade their goods for items needed in the colonies. A second Intolerable Act was the Quartering Act which required colonists to let British soldiers live in their homes. This stripped the colonists of their freedom
In response to the events of the Boston Tea Party, the British parliament passed a series of laws called the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts in 1774. These Acts were: the ‘Boston Port Act’, closing down all trade of Massachusetts; the ‘Massachusetts Government Act’, Massachusetts was no longer allowed to govern themselves; the ‘Administration of Justice Act’, any person charged with murder while trying to enforce the law would be tried in England; and the ‘Quartering Act’, allowing British troops to be housed in
The rebellion’s successfulness is a product of the results achieved by those taking a stand. In response to the colonists’ defiant actions, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts (Wallace 1). The Intolerable Acts included the Boston Port Act. This bill “shut off the city’s sea trade” (“Boston Tea Party”). This act would hold strong until the colony paid its debt to the British East India Company. The Boston Port Act greatly burdened the colony and resulted with the additional twelve colonies sending supplies to Boston in an effort to provide assistance (“The Intolerable Acts”). The Intolerable Acts also included the Massachusetts Government Act. This act declared the government of the colony to be unfit, unqualified and in need of improvement (“The Intolerable Acts”). This rebellion was the first reaction leading to the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War began
The Coercive Acts were the next challenge to the colonists sense of free will. These acts ignited conflicts across the colonies. These acts affected almost all aspects of life, from taxation to social and political factors. The Coercive Acts mainly consisted of five separate policies. The first act was the Boston Port Act, which effectively closed the port of Boston. This caused famine in Eastern Massachusetts, leading colonies to unite out of necessity, as the Boston population
The first act that was passed by the Parliament was the Boston Port Act. It was passed in March of 1774, it stopped all shipping into or out of the port of Boston until payment was received for the tea ruined in the Boston Tea Party and the tax that was due on it (“Intolerable Acts”). The act was to punish those who were involved in the Boston Tea Party. The ports were so heavily guarded that people could not give feed their horses hay from Charlestown, Massachusetts. The city of Boston began to suffer economically, because they could not make money from exporting goods. The king sent an army to make sure the rule was enforced. This showed many Americans that the king is very serious,
The five acts referred to as the Coercive Acts or the Intolerable Acts were too oppressive for the mind of the colonists to endure. Observing the discipline issued by their mother country onto Massachusetts, the residents of all colonies began to fear the loss of their rights and liberties as a result of their protests. Britain had clearly gained control of Massachusetts for all the colonists to view. By changing the charter, suspending local government, establishing military rule, and allowing Catholic Quebec Colonist land, the Colonist were left to question what kind of autonomy was guaranteed. Even though these Acts only applying to Massachusetts, the other colonists assembled to take charge of their rights. Colonists did not take lightly
As part of these acts, England closed all Boston harbors and ports. This deed effected everyone in the city and the colony. Also, England restricted local government and town meetings in Massachusetts. Other colonies along the Atlantic saw how much the colony of Massachusetts had been affected and sent them supplies to show their solidarity with a fellow colony. (Doc. G.)
The reaction drawn from the Parliament was the Intolerable Acts which can be known as an American term for both the Quebec and Coercive Acts. The Coercive Act was created in the spring of 1774. This act included the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. The Boston Port Act was first effective on June 1, 1774. This act closed
These acts closed ports until all the tea that was dumped into the Boston harbor was paid. They also gave more control to Parliament and banned town meetings in the colonies. This final action lead the colonists to declare war against Britain, to declare independence
Because Thomas Paine wanted the colonists to be aware of what was going on while the thirteen colonies were under British administration, he composed Common Sense. He explained to the Americans that people must retaliate against King George III’s wrongful policies. He and the British regime enacted an abundance of laws that the Americans found to be unreasonable. The Intolerable Acts are examples of what the British had forced the colonists to endure. This series of laws was legislated in 1774 to penalize the citizens of Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party. Four laws were passed during this period: the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. Other preposterous laws were the Navigation Acts, the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act of 1765, the Sugar Act, the Tea Act, and the Townshend Acts.
In 1770 there was an event where Lobsterbacks shot and killed American colonist in a mob with bayonets, this event is known as The Boston Massacre. In March of 1774 the Coercive or Intolerable Acts where placed on the colonies by Britain. The idea of the Coercive Acts for the colonies was to enrage the colonist after they had dumped all the tea into the harbor during the Boston Tea party. The act was placed on all legal documents and papers.