Final answer:
The Coercive Acts were a series of punitive measures by the British Parliament to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, leading to heightened tensions and unification among American colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
In response to the Boston Tea Party, the British Parliament passed a series of punitive measures aimed at Massachusetts, known historically as the Coercive Acts. Also called the Intolerable Acts, these laws had a significant impact on American colonial politics, leading to an increase in tensions that contributed to the start of the American Revolution. The primary objective of the Coercive Acts was to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party, and to reassert British authority over the rebellious colony.
The Coercive Acts comprised four pieces of legislation:
- The Boston Port Act closed the port of Boston until restitution was made for the destroyed tea.
- The Massachusetts Government Act altered the governance of the colony, giving more power to the royal governor.
- The Administration of Justice Act allowed trials of royal officials to be moved out of Massachusetts.
- The Quartering Act permitted the housing of British troops in colonial homes.
These acts were viewed as an overreach of power by the colonists, causing a rallying against what they perceived as a violation of their rights as English subjects. This sentiment was not isolated to Massachusetts, as other colonies saw the potential for similar retaliation against them. Hence, there was a collective move towards unification, exemplified by the First Continental Congress in 1774, which protested the acts and supported a boycott of British goods.