The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. Colonies were pressed with greater charges without representation in Britain. . The Boston Port Acts closed the port of Boston until the tea dumped by the colonists were paid for. The Massachusetts Government Act effectively abrogated the Massachusetts Charter of 1691 of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, and gave its royally-appointed governor wide-ranging powers. The Administration of Justice Act granted a change of venue to another British colony or Great Britain in trials of officials charged with a crime growing out of their enforcement of the law or suppression of riots. Witnesses for both sides were also required to attend the trial and were to be compensated for their expenses. The Quartering act required colonists to house and feed the thousands of British troops the King just sent to Boston. All British soldiers who were accused of a crime would be transported to England for trial instead of being tried in the colonies. The Quebec Act setting procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec. Parliament hoped these punitive measures would, by making an example of Massachusetts, reverse the trend of colonial resistance to parliamentary authority. Though this was the purpose of the Intolerable Acts, it just resulted in more colonists wanting to go against England. The acts took away Massachusetts self-government and historic rights, triggering outrage and resistance in the 13 Colonies.