History glossary
Intolerable Acts
the colonial name for punitive British laws passed in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party.
- Category
- Law
- Region
- British North America
- Date range
- 1774
What it means
The Intolerable Acts, called the Coercive Acts in Britain, were passed to punish Massachusetts and reassert imperial authority after the Boston Tea Party. They closed Boston Harbor, altered Massachusetts government, and helped unite colonial opposition.
