The Intolerable Acts

        The Intolerable Acts of 1774 were a series of retaliatory measure enacted by the British Parliament in response to colonial resistance. Britain, annoyed by the increased resistance during the winter of 1773-74, wanted to assert its authority over America and keep a firm grip over its economy. Boston was hurt most by these pieces of legislation, as it was the center of the American independence movement and was the location of the Boston Tea Party of 1773. These "Intolerable Acts", also called the Coercive Acts, angered many colonists and furthered the cause for American independence.

        The first of these acts, called the Boston Port Bill, closed the city's harbor until full reparations were paid for all the tea lost in the Boston Tea Party. The second, called the Massachusetts Government Act, abolished the colony's charter of 1691 and transformed Massachusetts into a "crown colony", replacing the government with a new military government and placing restrictions on unapproved town meetings. The third was the Administration of Justice Act, which allowed British officials under trial for capital offenses to have their trials back in England or any other colony. The fourth and most well known of these acts permitted British troops to be quartered in occupied American dwellings, reminding many colonists of the Quartering Act that had expired in 1770. This new Quartering Act applied to all the colonies of British America, angering Americans all over the continent.

        The Intolerable Acts were an attempt by the British to reestablish control over the American colonies, but it completely backfired. Rather than suppressing colonial dissent, these acts only furthered the movement for American independence and united the colonies under a single cause against the British.

Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Intolerable-Acts
https://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/07/04/britain-passes-the-coercive-acts-they-should-be-called-the-intolerable-acts