The Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts, were a series of punitive measures enacted by the British Parliament in 1774 against the American colonies, particularly Massachusetts. The four main acts were:
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Boston Port Act: This act closed the port of Boston until the East India Company was repaid for the tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party.
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Massachusetts Government Act: This act abolished representative government by establishing an all-powerful governor, 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. It eliminated the right to a fair trial by one’s peers, removing an established judicial principle dating to Magna Carta.
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Quartering Act: This act required colonists to provide housing for British soldiers in houses and other buildings, and it allowed high-ranking military officials to demand better accommodations for troops and to refuse inconvenient locations for quarters.
The Intolerable Acts were meant to force the rebellious colonies back into place, but they had the opposite effect and further fueled the flames of rebellion. The First Continental Congress convened in September 1774 to determine a response, and after weeks of discussions, the delegates decided to take a cautious approach and simply boycott British goods and send a petition to King George III begging that the Intolerable Acts be repealed. However, the petition would receive no reply from the king, and a few months later, the battles of Lexington and Concord would be the first shots of the American Revolutionary War.
