The Coercive Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in March 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. The acts were designed to punish the colony of Massachusetts for its role in the Tea Party, and to deter other colonies from following suit.
The Coercive Acts included:
* The Boston Port Act, which closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the tea that had been destroyed in the Tea Party.
* The Massachusetts Government Act, which replaced the colony's elected government with a governor-appointed council.
* The Administration of Justice Act, which allowed British officials accused of crimes in the colonies to be tried in England.
* The Quartering Act, which required colonists to provide housing and supplies for British soldiers.
* The Quebec Act, which expanded the boundaries of the province of Quebec to include the Ohio River Valley, and guaranteed religious freedom for French Catholics.
The Coercive Acts were seen by many colonists as a violation of their rights, and they helped to fuel the American Revolution.