The Coercive Acts, which were called the Intolerable Acts by the American colonists, were passed by Parliament in 1774 in response to colonial resistance to British rule. The four acts were (1) the Boston Port Bill, which closed Boston Harbor; (2) the Massachusetts Government Act, which replaced the elective local government with an appointive one and increased the powers of the military governor; (3) the Administration of Justice Act, which allowed British officials charged with capital offenses to be tried in another colony or in England; and (4) the Quartering Act, which permitted the requisition of unoccupied buildings to house British troops.
Discover