First Continental Congress
In 1774 the thirteen English colonies in America stood up in indignation. They were screaming to their homeland to listen to their cries and let their words have weight. England went beyond ignoring them. They began to implement various taxes that were meant to hit the upstart colonies where it hurt the most, the pocket book and their pride. The colonies reacted by having a little fun at a party in Boston (Boston Tea Party). This carousing did not meet with approval in England. In fact, the parent country threw out even more acts and taxes as a form of punishment. Historically, we call these punitive measures the Intolerable Acts.
The Acts
These acts called for the closing of Boston harbor until all the tea was paid for that went over the edge of the ships and into the harbor. They also changed the government of Massachusetts and placed it directly under the Royal Crown, gave governors the authority to place British soldiers in any building though it did stress unoccupied, allowed judges to move Royal courts to other colonies, and expanded the boundaries of the Canada colony. To many this might not seem all that big of an issue, but to these colonies it spoke volumes. England was in control and wanted these “children” to realize that. They did, and they reacted. It wasn’t pretty.
