The Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts, were a series of four punitive measures enacted by the British Parliament in 1774 against the American colonies, particularly Massachusetts. The acts were intended to punish the colonists for their rebellion and to reassert British control over the colonies. The four acts were:
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Boston Port Act: This act closed off the port of Boston, eliminating commerce and trade in the city.
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Massachusetts Government Act: This act abrogated the colonys charter of 1691, reducing it to the level of a crown colony, replacing the elective local council with an appointive one, enhancing the powers of the military governor, and forbidding town meetings without approval.
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Administration of Justice Act: This act was aimed at protecting British officials charged with capital offenses during law enforcement by allowing them to go to England or another colony for trial.
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Quartering Act: This act included new arrangements for housing British troops in occupied American dwellings, thus reviving the indignation that surrounded the earlier Quartering Act, which had been allowed to expire in 1770. Passed on June 2, 1774, the new Quartering Act applied to all of British America and gave colonial governors the right to requisition unoccupied buildings to house British troops.
The Intolerable Acts were meant to force the rebellious colonies back into place, but the opposite happened and only further fueled the flames of rebellion in North America. The acts united the colonies against a common enemy, and the Continental Congress was convened later in 1774. The Intolerable Acts were a key moment in the lead up to the American Revolution.
