Intolerable Acts

The Intolerable Acts, called by the British the Coercive Acts or Punitive Acts, were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the growing unrest in thirteen American colonies, particularly in Boston, Massachusetts after incidents such as the Boston Tea Party. Enforcement of the Acts played a major role in the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.

Related Topics:
British Parliament - 1774 - Growing unrest - American colonies - Boston, Massachusetts - Boston Tea Party - American Revolutionary War

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The Coercive Acts included:

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• Massachusetts Government Act
• Administration of Justice Act
• Boston Port Act
• Quartering Act

The Quebec Act was also passed in 1774, but it was a piece of legislation unrelated to the Coercive Acts. American Whigs, however, were alarmed by the Quebec Act as much as the Coercive Acts and they labeled it one of the "Intolerable Acts.". Their main complaints over the acts were the protections granted to the Indian territories, and the Catholic settlers in Ohio. These were viewed as attempts to halt expansion into the west, and strengthening of a church many opposed.

Related Topics:
Quebec Act - Ohio

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These acts had several effects. The acts promoted sympathy for the revolutionaries in Massachusetts, and encouraged revolutionaries from the otherwise diverse colonies to band together. However, the Quebec Act had the opposite effect among French Catholics in the Province of Quebec; encouraging pragmatic inaction, or support for the Crown by some.

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