The Intolerable Acts

The Intolerable Acts

After the Boston Tea Party the British Parliament decided to punish the American colonists by passing the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed that harshly affected the lives of many colonists.

Why did Parliament Pass the Intolerable Act?

There was no main economical reason for passing the series of laws that later became known as the Intolerable Acts. After the Boston Tea Party, King George III was furious with the 13 colonies and in order to show that he still had power and control over the colonies he decided to pass harsh laws and taxes to punish them. In other words, King George III did not like his power being threatened and decided to try and push more on the colonists which only fueled their fire further.

What did the Intolerable Acts do?

The Intolerable Acts were actually a series of acts and laws. The first act was the Boston Port Bill which closed the BostonPort until the colonists paid the tax for the thousands of pounds of tea that was dumped into the Boston Harbor. Second came the Administration of Justice Act which allowed British officials accused of crimes, to be tried in court back in New England rather than in the colonies. This act aimed mainly to protect the British troops stationed in the colonies. Next was the Quartering Act which allowed British soldiers to live in the homes of many colonists. This act infuriated colonists as they would be expected to provide room and food for these soldiers, when most of them were struggling to provide for themselves with all the new taxes being imposed. Last was Quebec Act which was more of a religious movement then punishment. This act allowed Quebec catholics to have universal government and religious freedom.

End Result of the Intolerable Acts

It can be argued that the intolerable acts was the last straw that the colonist took from the British crown. Once the acts were implaced many colonists refused to abide by them and many even boycotted them. A month or so later after the Intolerable Acts were passed the colonists banned together and began the Revolutionary War.