Intolerable Acts & The 1 st Continental Congress

1. Intolerable Acts & The 1st Continental Congress CH 6 Sec 3 Pt I

2. The Intolerable Acts • The Boston Tea Party infuriated Parliament • KG III decided it was time to “master” the colonists through punitive measures • In 1774, Parliament passed a series of laws meant to clamp down on colonial resistance • The British called these the Coercive Acts • Due to their harshness, though, the colonists referred to them as the Intolerable Acts • According to colonists, these laws were “intolerable” b/c they were a direct attack on their natural rights

3. Intolerable Acts, Cont. • The specifics of these Acts included: • Closing the port of Boston until colonists paid for the destroyed tea • A ban on town meetings in the Boston area • MA’s elected assembly was dismissed & replaced w/ a royally appointed council - Royal Governor’s power was also increased 4. British officials accused of crimes could not be tried in the colonies • To enforce these laws, Parliament appointed Gen. Thomas Gage to govern MA.

4. 1st Continental Congress • As the British began to enforce the IA, other colonies quickly sent aid to MA • Food, supplies, & $ were in short supply b/c of the closing of Boston’s port • The Committees of Corr. also called for a meeting of colonial delegates to discuss further action(s) • In Sept. 1774, delegate from every colony except GA met in Philly • At this meeting, called the 1st Continental Congress, delegates voted to: • Ban all trade w/ Britain until the IA were repealed • Begin training militia, or armed civilians, in every colony • Meet again in 7 months

5. British Control Slips • Colonists hoped another boycott would force a repeal of the IA • Finally, however, Parliament stood firm • In fact, Parliament actually hardened its stance by: • Further restricting colonial trade • Sending 4,000 more troops to occupy colonial cities • In the countryside, though, the British were already losing control of the colonial govt. • By 1774, colonists were becoming openly defiant in increasingly public ways by: • Preventing British-appointed judges from holding court • Forcing unelected official to resign • Electing their own provincial congress • These brash & public displays of defiance often teetered on the edge of open rebellion • It was only a matter of time until an outbreak of major violence would occur