Intolerable Acts facts for kids

The Intolerable Acts were a group of strict laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774. These laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists. They were passed after the famous Boston Tea Party protest.

In Great Britain, these laws were called the Coercive Acts. The colonists called them "Intolerable" because they felt they were too harsh. These acts took away many rights and freedoms that Massachusetts had. This made colonists across the Thirteen Colonies very angry. The Intolerable Acts were a big reason why the American Revolutionary War started in April 1775.

Four of the acts were passed directly because of the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The British Parliament wanted to show Massachusetts who was in charge. They hoped to stop the colonists from resisting British rule. A fifth law, the Quebec Act, was passed around the same time. Colonists also saw it as part of the Intolerable Acts.

The Patriots believed these acts violated their rights. In September 1774, they formed the First Continental Congress. This meeting was held to organize a protest against the new laws. As tensions grew, the American Revolutionary War began. This war eventually led to the United States of America becoming an independent country in July 1776.

Why Britain Passed These Laws

Relations between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Parliament got worse after 1763. This was when the Seven Years' War (also called the French and Indian War) ended. That war cost the British government a lot of money. So, the British Parliament looked for ways to get more tax money from the colonies.

Parliament believed it had the right to tax the colonies. They passed laws like the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767. They thought these taxes were fair ways for the colonies to help pay for the British Empire. Even though colonists protested and some taxes were removed, Parliament still insisted it could make laws for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever." This was stated in the Declaratory Act of 1766.

Many colonists argued that they should not be taxed without their consent. They believed that under the British constitution, people should not have their property taken (through taxes) unless they agreed to it. Since the colonies did not have direct representatives in Parliament, they felt Parliament had no right to tax them. This idea was summed up by the slogan "No taxation without representation."

After the Townshend Acts, some colonists even wondered if Parliament had any right to make laws for them at all. The main disagreement that led to the American Revolution was about how much power Parliament had over the colonies.

The Boston Tea Party and Parliament's Response

On December 16, 1773, a group of Patriot colonists took action. They were linked to the Sons of Liberty. They destroyed 342 chests of tea in Boston, Massachusetts. This event became known as the Boston Tea Party.

The colonists did this because they felt Great Britain had too much control. Parliament had passed the Tea Act. This act gave the British East India Company control over tea sales in the colonies. The act helped the company avoid going bankrupt. It made tea cheaper but still kept a tax on it. This angered the colonists.

News of the Boston Tea Party reached Great Britain in January 1774. Parliament quickly responded by passing four new laws. Three of these laws were meant to directly punish Massachusetts. The British Parliament wanted to be paid back for the destroyed tea. They also wanted to show their authority in Massachusetts again. And they wanted to change how colonial governments worked in America.

The Five Intolerable Acts

The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws that greatly angered the American colonists.

Boston Port Act

The Boston Port Act was the first law passed in 1774. It was a direct response to the Boston Tea Party. This act closed the port of Boston. It would stay closed until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea. It would also stay closed until the king was sure that order had returned.

Colonists disagreed with this act for two main reasons. First, it punished all of Boston, not just the people who destroyed the tea. Second, they felt they were being punished without being allowed to speak in their own defense.

Massachusetts Government Act

The Massachusetts Government Act caused even more anger than the Port Act. This law took away Massachusetts' special charter. It brought the colony directly under the control of the British government.

Under this act, almost all government jobs in the colony would be chosen by the governor, Parliament, or the king. The act also severely limited town meetings in Massachusetts. They could only happen once a year, unless the governor called for more. Colonists outside Massachusetts saw this and worried their own governments would also be changed by British Parliament.

Administration of Justice Act

The Administration of Justice Act allowed the Royal governor to move trials. If a royal official was accused of a crime, their trial could be held in Great Britain. It could also be held elsewhere in the British Empire. This would happen if the governor thought the official could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts.

Witnesses would then have to travel across the Atlantic. This meant taking time off work and paying for travel. They would be repaid for travel costs, but few could afford the trip in the first place. George Washington called this the "Murder Act." He believed it would let British officials harm Americans and then escape punishment. Many colonists felt this act was not needed. British soldiers had received fair trials after the Boston Massacre in 1770.

Quartering Act

The Quartering Act applied to all British colonies in North America. It aimed to find a better way to house British troops. Local governments in the American colonies were required to provide housing and food for British soldiers when needed.

Quebec Act

The Quebec Act was passed during the same time as the other four acts. Because of this, colonists considered it one of the Intolerable Acts. This act expanded the territory of the Province of Quebec. It included much of what is now the American Midwest. This seemed to cancel out land claims by groups like the Ohio Company.

The act also guaranteed the free practice of Catholicism. Catholicism was the main religion in Canada. Many colonists saw this as making Catholicism an official religion in the colonies. Most colonists were Protestant. Also, many colonists still saw the French as enemies from the French and Indian War. They did not like the freedoms given to the French.

How the Colonists Reacted

Many colonists saw the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts) as a violation of their constitutional rights. They also felt these acts went against their natural rights and their colonial charters. Because of this, they viewed the acts as a threat to the freedoms of all of British America, not just Massachusetts. Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, for example, called the acts "a most wicked system for destroying the liberty of America."

The people of Boston were not the only ones who saw the Intolerable Acts as unfair. The acts made more colonists turn against British rule. This was the opposite of what Parliament had hoped for.

Great Britain took a risk that did not pay off. Parliament had hoped the Intolerable Acts would make an example of Massachusetts. They wanted American colonists to accept Parliament's authority over their own elected assemblies. Instead, the acts created sympathy for Massachusetts. They encouraged colonists from different colonies to form committees of correspondence. These committees sent representatives to the First Continental Congress.

The Continental Congress created the Continental Association. This was an agreement to stop buying British goods. The Association also decided that if the Intolerable Acts were not removed after a year, the colonists would stop sending goods to Great Britain. The Congress promised to support Massachusetts if it was attacked. This meant all the colonies would get involved when the American Revolutionary War began at Lexington and Concord.

Interesting Facts About the Intolerable Acts

• Other colonies sent supplies to help Boston after Great Britain closed its port with the Boston Port Act.
• The acts had different names in Britain and the colonies. Britain called them the Coercive Acts because they hoped to force colonists to obey. The colonists called them the Intolerable Acts because they found them unacceptable.
• Newspapers published articles about the tyranny of Great Britain and the Intolerable Acts.
• The First Continental Congress was formed because of the Intolerable Acts. The colonists wanted to unite against Britain.
• Important delegates at the First Continental Congress included future United States Presidents George Washington (1st President) and John Adams (2nd President).
• Today, the tea destroyed in Boston Harbor would be worth almost $1 million.
• Benjamin Franklin believed the colonies should unite against British rule. In Spanish: Leyes intolerables para niños