jan 1, 1774 - Intolerable Acts

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At this point, the installation of Acts was purely out of spite and revenge. The main example of this was the Intolerable acts, which were emplaced in seek of revenge by the king for the Colonists ruining a large amount of tea crates.. This series of acts consisted of two segments, the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Acts. The Coercive Acts themselves were also a series of Acts that also widely affected the Colonial population. The first of these acts was the Port Act, suspending the port of Boston until the ruined tea was paid for. The second was the Massachusetts Government Act which reduced the power of the legislature in the colony while increasing that of the royal governors. Thirdly was the Administration of Justice Act, allowing royal officials under accusations to be sent to court in Great Britain rather than in the courts in the colonies. Finally, the last act expanded the Quartering Act’s effects, allowing for British soldiers to be housed in private houses. As you can see, the Acts were extensive, covering and affecting anybody in the Colonies. What’s more significant is how the King named the Acts the “Coercive Acts.” By doing so, he is literally acknowledging that what he installed was only to further limit and restrict the Colonies. It was simply done out of spite. Great Britain didn’t even make an effort to disguise their acts as purposeful anymore. On top of the Coercive Acts was the Quebec Act, which organized the newly-acquired Canadian lands from France. In this new land, Britain established a government devoid of a representative assembly. These two features of the Act were seen as problematic in the eyes of the Colonists. For one, it was directly taking away land that they had settled along the Ohio River. Furthermore, the establishment of a no-representative government in the new land was a threat to the colonists because they feared the same would be done to their colonies. And so with the intolerable acts, the Colonists finally decided that enough was enough. After all, the Acts were called “Intolerable,” meaning that they literally could not handle them anymore.

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