Final answer:
In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed punitive laws known as the Coercive Acts in early 1774, including the Boston Port Bill and the Massachusetts Government Act, aiming to discipline Massachusetts and assert British authority.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the Boston Tea Party, Parliament and King George III took swift action to discipline the colonies. In early 1774, Parliament enacted a series of punitive measures known as the Coercive Acts, which included:
- The Boston Port Bill which closed the port of Boston until the lost tea was paid for.
- The Massachusetts Government Act which altered the governance of Massachusetts, empowering the crown more authority over its administration.
- Various laws were set up to exert control, such as restricting town meetings and implementing a judicial system more favorable to British authority.
- Imposition of the Quartering Act and the expansion of activities under the Intolerable Acts, compelling colonists to provide housing for British soldiers and limiting local self-government.
Moreover, the Quebec Act expanded the boundaries of Quebec and highlighted the religious freedoms for Catholics, which disturbed many Protestant colonists.
These actions were perceived as an overreach by the British government and fanned the flames of unrest leading up to the American Revolutionary War. The attempt to force Massachusetts into submission via economic and legislative control backfired, uniting the American colonies in the movement towards independence.