The Intolerable Acts

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The Intolerable Acts
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Taxes

• Parliament continued to pass new taxes in order
  to collect money to pay off debts from the French
  and Indian War and the expense of continuing to
  defend the colonies.
• Taxes were also used to pay the salaries of
  British officials in America.

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Boycott

• Boston merchants adopted a nonimportation
  agreement in 1768, agreeing not to import certain
  items rather than pay the taxes.
• This boycott spread to other cities. By 1769
  imports of British goods had fallen by 40.
• Finally in 1770, Parliament gave up and repealed
  all the duties except for the tax on tea.

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Tea Tax

• At first colonists accepted this compromise.
  Those that did not agree with it smuggled tea to
  avoid paying the tax. 
• The East India Company had a monopoly on the
  trade of goods from India. The company was
  struggling to the point of almost going bankrupt.
• To help the them, Parliament allowed the East
  India Company to sell its tea directly to the
  colonies without paying the usual import taxes in
  England.
• This meant that the East India Company could sell
  tea more cheaply than the local merchants, who
  had to pay high taxes on the tea they imported.
   Due to pricing colonists were forced to buy
  their tea from the East India Company.

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Protests Begin

• Colonists were outraged and demanded that the
  British government remove the tax on tea.
• In some cities, the ships were not allowed to
  dock and unload the tea.
• In others, dockworkers refused to unload the tea
  from the ships.

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Boston

• The Governor of Massachusetts demanded that the
  tea be unloaded. He also demanded that the people
  pay the tax on the tea.
• Like Georgia, other colonies had Royal Governors.
  These men were appointed by the king and had
  salaries paid by Great Britain they were loyal
  to Great Britain.

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The Boston Tea Party

• On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of
  men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went
  to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as
  Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships
  and dumped forty-five tons of tea into the Boston
  Harbor.

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Punishment

• In response to the destruction of the tea, the
  British issued what the colonist called the
  Intolerable Acts.
• These acts were designed to punish the
  Massachusetts colonists for the Boston Tea Party.

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Task- Part 1

• Read about the four acts which were known as the
  Intolerable Acts.
• CRCT Prep Book- Page 42
• Textbook- Page 114
• Write a brief yet complete summary of what each
  act did.
• You will discuss these as a class.

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Boston Port Act

• Passed on March 31, 1774
• It shut down the port of Boston. Ships were
  prevented from setting anchor or docking anywhere
  in Boston Harbor until the colonists of Boston
  paid for the cost of the tea that was dumped into
  the harbor and damages done to houses of British
  officials during riots.
• Any ship caught in the Boston Harbor was subject
  to seizure of both cargo and ship.
• The value of the tea was estimated to be worth
  approximately 32,000 in 1773. Based on
  inflation, the amount would be around 1,000,000
  today.

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Massachusetts Government Act

• When Massachusetts was first chartered, a council
  was formed that was chosen by the people of the
  colony. The Massachusetts Government Act was
  passed to take away this independence and put the
  control back in the hands of the king.
• Passed on May 20, 1774
• It abolished the popularly elected council
  members and replaced them with a council of men
  appointed by the King.
• The Act also prohibited any town meetings unless
  specifically authorized by the governor.

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Administration of Justice Act

• Passed on May 20, 177
• The Administration of Justice Act provided that
  British officials accused of capital crimes
  (crimes punishable by the death penalty- murder
  and treason) in the execution their duties in
  suppressing riots or collecting lawful taxes in
  Massachusetts could avoid hostile local juries.
  The governor was authorized to decide that such
  cases be heard in England.

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Quartering Act

• Passed on June 2, 1774
• In 1765, Parliament passed a quartering act that
  stated that British troops in America would be
  housed in barracks and in public houses unless
  and until the number of troops overwhelmed the
  facilities, at which time, the troops could be
  housed in private commercial property, such as
  inns and stables, and in uninhabited homes and
  barns. The quartering would be without
  compensation and, in fact, owners would be
  required to provide soldiers with certain
  necessities such as food, liquor, salt, and
  bedding, also without compensation.
• In 1774, the old quartering act was supplemented
  with the Quartering Act of 1774. This act
  required colonists to house troops not only as
  previously required, but also in their private
  homes that they were living in.

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Task Part 2

• Using blank printer paper, you will create a four
  squared (one for each act) mini poster of the
  Intolerable Acts.
• Each square should contain a brief yet complete
  summary of what each act did.
• Each square should also contain a picture that
  demonstrates what each act did YES color it.