Which series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party?

• A. Stamp Act
• B. Coercive Acts
• C. Intolerable Acts
• D. Tea Act

Answer: (C)

These laws were a punitive response by Parliament to the Boston Tea Party, aimed at punishing Massachusetts and tightening British control over the colonies. In American history they are called the Intolerable Acts because colonists viewed them as harsh and unacceptable measures; in Britain they were known as the Coercive Acts. The package included the Boston Port Act, which closed Boston’s harbor; the Massachusetts Government Act, which restricted colonial self-government; the Administration of Justice Act, which allowed royal officials to be tried in Britain; and a strengthened Quartering Act to house troops. Sometimes the Quebec Act is grouped with these measures, since it further extended royal authority in North America, contributing to the sense that Britain was clamping down on colonial freedoms. Together, these laws demonstrated a clear effort to assert imperial power, and they helped push the colonies toward greater unity and resistance, culminating in actions like the First Continental Congress. That combination of purpose, scope, and impact is why this package is most widely identified as the Intolerable Acts.