Final answer:
The British Parliament passed the unpopular Intolerable Acts in response to colonial protests, especially the Boston Tea Party. The acts prompted united colonial opposition and the formation of the First Continental Congress, accelerating the path to the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Leaders in the British Parliament led the initiative in passing a series of measures that were unpopular in the American colonies and became known as the Intolerable Acts. These acts, including the Coercive Acts and the Quebec Act, were a response to the Boston Tea Party and other acts of defiance from the colonies. They consisted of the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act. These measures were seen as an assault on the colonists' rights as British subjects and resulted in widespread disdain among the American populace, which ultimately aided in uniting the thirteen colonies against British rule.
Notably, the Intolerable Acts galvanized the Committees of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty to spread the message that these acts threatened the liberties of all colonists. The passage of these acts led to the formation of the First Continental Congress, where the Suffolk Resolves were approved, declaring the Intolerable Acts null and void and drafting a Declaration of American Rights that underscored the refusal of Americans to cede their rights without consent.