70-736: The Intolerable Acts , sometimes referred to as the Insufferable Acts or Coercive Acts, were a series of five punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party . The laws aimed to punish Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest of the Tea Act , a tax measure enacted by Parliament in May 1773. In Great Britain, these laws were referred to as
140-608: A fair trial following the Boston Massacre in 1770. The Quartering Act , which applied to all British colonies in North America, sought to create a more effective method of housing British troops. In a previous act, the colonies had been required to provide housing for soldiers, but colonial legislatures had been uncooperative in doing so. The new Quartering Act allowed a governor to house soldiers in other buildings if suitable quarters were not provided. While many sources claim that
210-613: A group of Patriot colonists associated with the Sons of Liberty destroyed 342 chests of tea in Boston, Massachusetts , an act that came to be known as the Boston Tea Party . The colonists partook in this action because Parliament had passed the Tea Act , which granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, thereby saving the company from bankruptcy. This made British tea less expensive. In addition, there
280-432: A group of his ministers, the foremost of whom was Sir Robert Walpole , and by the end of his reign in 1727 the position of the ministers – who had to rely on Parliament for support – was cemented. George I's successor, his son George II , continued to follow through with his father's domestic policies and made little effort to re-establish monarchical control over the government which was now in firm control by Parliament. By
350-793: A junior Lord of the Treasury on 2 June 1759 during the Pitt–Newcastle ministry (an alliance between the Duke of Newcastle and William Pitt the Elder ). He soon developed a reputation as a good administrator and parliamentarian and was generally liked by his colleagues. Although he initially considered himself a Whig , he did not closely align with any of the Whig factions in Parliament, and it became obvious to many contemporaries that his sympathies were largely Tory . He
420-568: A savage attack on both the Prime Minister and the king in his newspaper The North Briton , which many thought libellous. North's motion that Wilkes be expelled from the House of Commons passed by 273 votes to 111. Wilkes' expulsion took place in his absence, as he had already fled to France following a duel. When a government headed by the Whig magnate Charles Watson-Wentworth, Lord Rockingham came to power in 1765, North left his post and served for
490-633: A series of measures to increase tax revenue from the colonies. Parliament believed that these acts, such as the Stamp Act 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767, were legitimate means of having the colonies pay their fair share of the costs of maintaining the British Empire . Although protests led to the repeal of the Stamp and Townshend Acts, Parliament adhered to the position that it had the right to legislate for
560-549: A time as a backbench MP . He turned down an offer by Rockingham to rejoin the government, not wanting to be associated with the Whig grandees that dominated the Ministry. He returned to office when Pitt returned to head a second government in 1766. North was appointed Joint Paymaster of the Forces in Pitt's ministry and became a Privy Counsellor . As Pitt was constantly ill, the government
630-536: A view expressed by the slogan " No taxation without representation ". After the Townshend Acts, some colonial essayists took this line of thinking even further, and began to question whether Parliament had any legitimate jurisdiction in the colonies at all. This question of the extent of Parliament's sovereignty in the colonies was the issue underlying what became the American Revolution. On 16 December 1773,
700-615: A wedge between France and Spain and demonstrated the power of the Royal Navy , although it was suggested by critics that this gave Lord North a degree of complacency and an incorrect belief that the European powers would not interfere in British colonial affairs. This was contrasted with the previous administration's failure to prevent France from annexing the Republic of Corsica , a British ally, during
770-470: Is all over!" North was the second British Prime Minister to be forced out of office by a motion of no confidence ; the first was Sir Robert Walpole in 1742. Lord North resigned on 20 March 1782 on account of the British defeat at Yorktown the year before. In an attempt to end the war, he proposed the Conciliation Plan, in which he promised that Great Britain would eliminate all disagreeable acts if
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#1732837015894840-648: Is included in Wales in these tables. Sources for this period may include the county in England. Table 1: Constituencies and Members, by type and country Table 2: Number of seats per constituency, by type and country 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W / 51.49917°N 0.12472°W / 51.49917; -0.12472 Frederick North, Lord North Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guilford , (13 April 1732 – 5 August 1792), better known by his courtesy title Lord North , which he used from 1752 to 1790,
910-454: Is no provision for this within the treaty; furthermore, the incumbent officers and members representing England comprised the overwhelming majority of the new body. It was not even considered necessary to hold a new general election. While Scots law and Scottish legislation remained separate, new legislation was thereafter to be enacted by the new parliament, with the exception of that pertaining to private right which could only legislated on for
980-694: The American Revolutionary War began at Lexington and Concord . Parliament of Great Britain List of parliaments of Great Britain The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland . The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a new unified Kingdom of Great Britain and created
1050-662: The Baltic . With severe manpower shortages, North's government passed an act abandoning previous statutes placing restrictions on Catholics serving in the military. This provoked an upsurge of anti-Catholic feelings and the formation of the Protestant Association that led to the Gordon Riots in London in June 1780. For around a week, the city was in the control of the mob until the military
1120-709: The Boston Tea Party in 1773, Lord North proposed a number of legislative measures that were supposed to punish the Bostonians. These measures were known as the Coercive Acts in Great Britain, while dubbed the Intolerable Acts in the colonies. By shutting down the Boston government and cutting off trade, he hoped they would keep the peace and dispirit the rebellious colonists. Instead, the acts further inflamed Massachusetts and
1190-579: The Coercive Acts . They were a key development leading to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775. Four acts were enacted by Parliament in early 1774 in direct response to the Boston Tea Party of 16 December 1773: Boston Port, Massachusetts Government, Impartial Administration of Justice, and Quartering Acts. The acts took away self-governance and rights that Massachusetts had enjoyed since its founding, triggering outrage and indignation in
1260-679: The Corsican Crisis two years earlier. Using his newly found popularity, North took a chance and appointed Lord Sandwich to the cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty . Most of North's government was focused first on the growing problems with the American colonies. Later on, it was preoccupied with conducting the American War of Independence that broke out in 1775 with the Battle of Lexington . Following
1330-639: The Falkland Islands , nearly provoking a war. Both France and Spain had been left unhappy by Great Britain's perceived dominance following the British victory in the Seven Years War . Spanish forces seized the British settlement on the Falklands and expelled the small British garrison. When Britain opposed the seizure, Spain sought backing from her ally France. King Louis XV of France did not believe his country
1400-612: The First Continental Congress . The Continental Congress created the Continental Association , an agreement to boycott British goods. Additionally, it was decided that if the Intolerable Acts were not reversed after a year, goods were to stop being exported to Great Britain as well. The Congress also pledged to support Massachusetts in case of attack, which meant that all of the colonies would become involved when
1470-721: The Middle Ages , so that in many "rotten" and "pocket" boroughs seats could be bought, while major cities remained unrepresented, except by the Knights of the Shire representing whole counties. Reformers and Radicals sought parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the British government became repressive against dissent and progress towards reform was stalled. George II's successor, George III , sought to restore royal supremacy and absolute monarchy, but by
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#17328370158941540-727: The Thirteen Colonies . The British Parliament hoped these punitive measures would, by making an example of Massachusetts, reverse the trend of colonial resistance to parliamentary authority that had begun with the Sugar Act 1764 . A fifth act, the Quebec Act , enlarged the boundaries of what was then the Province of Quebec notably southwestward into the Ohio Country and other future mid-western states, and instituted reforms generally favorable to
1610-461: The francophone Catholic inhabitants of the region. Although unrelated to the other four Acts, it was passed in the same legislative session and seen by the colonists as one of the Intolerable Acts. The Patriots viewed the acts as an arbitrary violation of the rights of Massachusetts, and in September 1774 they organized the First Continental Congress to coordinate a protest. As tensions escalated,
1680-635: The "evident utility" of the people. England's de facto prominence in the new parliament was, and remains, a contentious issue. After the Hanoverian King George I ascended the British throne in 1714 through the Act of Settlement of 1701 , real power continued to shift away from the monarchy. George was a German ruler, spoke poor English, and remained interested in governing his dominions in continental Europe rather than in Britain. He thus entrusted power to
1750-535: The "rotten boroughs" to London and the counties were defeated in the House of Commons by 248 votes to 174. In the wake of the French Revolution of 1789, Radical organisations such as the London Corresponding Society sprang up to press for parliamentary reform, but as the French Revolutionary Wars developed the government took extensive repressive measures against feared domestic unrest aping
1820-527: The American colonies. In the early 20th century, a revised view emerged which emphasised his strengths in administering the Treasury, handling the House of Commons , and in defending the Church of England . Historian Herbert Butterfield , however, argued that his indolence was a barrier to efficient crisis management; he neglected his role in supervising the entire war effort. North was born in London on 13 April 1732 at
1890-595: The Duke of Grafton resigned as Prime Minister, North formed a government on 28 January 1770. His ministers and supporters tended to be known as Tories, though they were not a formal grouping and many had previously been Whigs. He took over with Great Britain in a triumphant state following the Seven Years' War , which had seen the First British Empire expand to a peak by taking in vast new territories on several continents. Circumstances forced him to keep many members of
1960-500: The Earl of Sandwich. The British naval victory at the Battle of the Saintes took place after the government's fall. Despite predictions that Gibraltar 's fall was imminent, that fortress managed to hold out and was relieved . Great Britain was able to make a much more favourable peace in 1783 than had appeared likely at the time when North had been ousted. In spite of this, North was critical of
2030-485: The English nobility. Most candidates for the House of Commons were identified as Whigs or Tories , but once elected they formed shifting coalitions of interests rather than dividing along clear party lines. At general elections the vote was restricted in most places to property owners, in constituencies which were out of date and did not reflect the growing importance of manufacturing towns or shifts of population, so that in
2100-646: The Port Act because it unilaterally took away Massachusetts' charter and brought it under control of the British government. Under the terms of the Government Act, almost all positions in the colonial government were to be appointed by the governor, Parliament, or the king. The act also severely limited town meetings in Massachusetts to one per year, unless the governor called for one. Colonists outside Massachusetts feared that their governments could now also be changed by
2170-472: The Quartering Act allowed troops to be billeted in occupied private homes, historian David Ammerman's 1974 study claimed that this is a myth, and that the act only permitted troops to be quartered in unoccupied buildings. Although unrelated to the aforementioned Acts, the Quebec Act , passed in the same parliamentary session, was considered by the colonists to be one of the Intolerable Acts. The Act expanded
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2240-572: The Revolutionary War broke out in April 1775, leading to the declaration of an independent United States of America in July 1776. Relations between the Thirteen Colonies and the British Parliament slowly but steadily worsened after the end of the Seven Years' War (French and Indian War) in 1763. The war had plunged the British government deep into debt, and so the British Parliament enacted
2310-494: The Treaty were passed in both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland, which created a new Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts paved the way for the enactment of the treaty of Union which created a new parliament, referred to as the 'Parliament of Great Britain', based in the home of the former English parliament. All of the traditions, procedures, and standing orders of the English parliament were retained, although there
2380-535: The act (the Loudoun and Fairfax resolves ) was swift, and Richard Henry Lee of Virginia described the acts as "a most wicked System for destroying the liberty of America". The citizens of Boston viewed the Intolerable Acts as unnecessary and cruel punishment, further inflaming hatred toward Britain. Even more Bostonians turned against British rule. Great Britain hoped that the Intolerable Acts would isolate radicals in Massachusetts and cause American colonists to concede
2450-473: The authority of Parliament over their elected assemblies. The calculated risk backfired: the harshness of some of the acts made it difficult for colonial moderates to speak in favor of Parliament. Instead, the acts only served to distance the colonies from the Crown, create sympathy for Massachusetts and encourage colonists from the otherwise diverse colonies to form committees of correspondence which sent delegates to
2520-523: The capture of Charleston, South Carolina and its garrison. During 1780 and 1781, the North government gained strength in the House of Commons. In October 1781, British forces under Lord Cornwallis surrendered at the conclusion of the Siege of Yorktown , dealing a crushing blow to British morale. When the news reached North, he took it "as he would have taken a ball in his breast", and exclaimed repeatedly "Oh God! It
2590-566: The circumstantial evidence. King George IV remarked that "either his royal grandfather or North's mother must have played her husband false", North's father, Francis North, 1st Earl of Guilford , was from 1730 to 1751 Lord of the Bedchamber to Frederick, Prince of Wales, who stood as godfather to the infant, christened Frederick, possibly in honour of his real father. North was descended from Henry Montagu, 1st Earl of Manchester , paternal uncle of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich and
2660-492: The colonies "in all cases whatsoever" in the Declaratory Act of 1766. Many colonists argued that under the unwritten British constitution , a British subject's property could not be taken from him (in the form of taxes) without his consent (in the form of representation in government). Therefore, because the colonies were not directly represented in Parliament, it followed that Parliament had no right to levy taxes upon them,
2730-439: The colonies ended the war. The colonies rejected the plan, as their goal had become full independence. In April 1782, it was suggested in cabinet by Lord Shelburne that North should be brought to public trial for his conduct of the American War, but the prospect was soon abandoned. Ironically, the war began to turn in Great Britain's favour again in 1782 through naval victories, owing largely to policies adopted by Lord North and
2800-409: The constitutional scholar Johann Jacob Mascov . They continued through Austria and Italy, staying in Rome from December 1752 to Easter 1753, then through Switzerland to Paris , returning to England in early 1754. On 15 April 1754, North, then 22, was elected unopposed as the member of parliament for the constituency of Banbury . He served as an MP from 1754 to 1790 and joined the government as
2870-451: The democratic and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution and progress toward reform was stalled for decades. In 1801, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was created when the Kingdom of Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland under the Acts of Union 1800 . Monmouthshire (One County constituency with two members and one single member Borough constituency)
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2940-504: The electors of Westminster. This included calls for the six points later adopted by the Chartists . The American War of Independence ended in defeat for a foreign policy that sought to prevent the thirteen American colonies from breaking away and forming their own independent nation , something which George III had fervently advocated, and in March 1782 the king was forced to appoint an administration led by his opponents which sought to curb royal patronage. In November of 1783, he took
3010-403: The end of his reign the position of the king's ministers – who discovered that they needed the support of Parliament to enact any major changes – had become central to the role of British governance, and would remain so ever after. During the first half of George III's reign, the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which itself was dominated by the patronage and influence of
3080-486: The end of the 18th century the monarch still had considerable influence over Parliament, which was dominated by the English aristocracy, by means of patronage , but had ceased to exert direct power: for instance, the last occasion on which royal assent was withheld was in 1708 by Queen Anne , even this being done only at the request of her ministers. At general elections the vote was restricted to freeholders and landowners, in constituencies that had changed little since
3150-423: The family house at Albemarle Street , just off Piccadilly . He spent much of his youth at Wroxton Abbey in Oxfordshire . North's strong resemblance to King George III suggested to contemporaries that George III's father, Frederick, Prince of Wales , might have been North's real father, making North the king's half-brother, a theory compatible with the prince's reputation but supported by little else other than
3220-409: The legislative fiat of Parliament. The Administration of Justice Act allowed the royal governor to order trials of accused royal officials to take place in Great Britain or elsewhere within the Empire if he decided that the defendant could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts. Although the act stipulated for witnesses to be reimbursed after having traveled at their own expense across the Atlantic, it
3290-407: The lenient provisions granted to their erstwhile enemies whom they had fought hard against during the French and Indian War . Many colonists saw the Intolerable Acts as a violation of their constitutional rights , their natural rights , and their colonial charters. They, therefore, viewed the acts as a threat to the liberties of all of British America, not just Massachusetts. Legislation denouncing
3360-427: The ministry fell in December 1783. One of the major achievements of the coalition was the signing of the Treaty of Paris , which formally ended the American War of Independence . The new Prime Minister, William Pitt the Younger , was not expected to last long, and North, a vocal critic, still entertained hopes of regaining high office. In this, he was to be frustrated, as Pitt dominated the British political scene for
3430-470: The next twenty years, leaving both North and Fox in the political wilderness. North was an active speaker until he began to go blind in 1786. He succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Guilford on 4 August 1790 and entered the House of Lords , by which time he had entirely lost his sight. Lord Guilford died in Mayfair , England (now part of London), and was buried at All Saints' Church, Wroxton (Oxfordshire), near his family home of Wroxton Abbey . His memorial
3500-423: The opportunity to use his influence in the House of Lords to defeat a bill to reform the Honourable East India Company , dismissed the government of the day, and appointed William Pitt the Younger to form a new government. Pitt had previously called for Parliament to begin to reform itself, but he did not press for long for reforms the king did not like. Proposals Pitt made in April 1785 to redistribute seats from
3570-430: The other colonies, eventually resulting in open war during the Boston campaign of 1775–76. North delegated the overall strategy of the war to his key subordinates Lord George Germain and the Earl of Sandwich. Despite a series of victories and the capture of New York and Philadelphia , the British were unable to secure a decisive victory. In 1778, the French allied themselves with the American rebels, and Spain joined
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#17328370158943640-405: The parliament of Great Britain located in the former home of the English parliament in the Palace of Westminster , near the City of London . This lasted nearly a century, until the Acts of Union 1800 merged the separate British and Irish Parliaments into a single Parliament of the United Kingdom with effect from 1 January 1801. Following the Treaty of Union in 1706, Acts of Union ratifying
3710-402: The previous cabinet in their jobs, despite their lack of agreement with him. In contrast to many of his predecessors, North enjoyed a good relationship with George III, partly based on their shared patriotism and desire for decency in their private lives . North's ministry had an early success during the Falklands Crisis in 1770, in which Great Britain faced down a Spanish attempt to seize
3780-423: The programme in the House of Commons , saying: The Americans have tarred and feathered your subjects, plundered your merchants, burnt your ships, denied all obedience to your laws and authority; yet so clement and so long forbearing has our conduct been that it is incumbent on us now to take a different course. Whatever may be the consequences, we must risk something; if we do not, all is over. The Boston Port Act
3850-426: The prospect of a major Franco-Spanish invasion, but the Armada of 1779 was ultimately a failure. Several peace initiatives fell through, and an attempt by Richard Cumberland to negotiate a separate peace with Spain ended in frustration. The country's problems were augmented by the First League of Armed Neutrality , which was formed to counter the British blockade strategy, and threatened British naval supplies from
3920-403: The rotten and pocket boroughs seats in parliament could be bought from the rich landowners who controlled them, while major cities remained unrepresented. Reformers like William Beckford and Radicals beginning with John Wilkes called for reform of the system. In 1780, a draft programme of reform was drawn up by Charles James Fox and Thomas Brand Hollis and put forward by a sub-committee of
3990-495: The terms agreed by the Shelburne government which he felt undervalued the strength of the British negotiating position. In April 1783, North returned to power as Home Secretary in an unlikely coalition with the radical Whig leader Charles James Fox known as the Fox–North Coalition under the nominal leadership of the Duke of Portland . King George III , who detested the radical and republican Fox, never forgave this supposed betrayal, and North never again served in government after
4060-426: The territory of the Province of Quebec into the Great Lakes region and much of what is now the Midwestern United States , which appeared to void the land claims of the Ohio Company on the region. The guarantee of free practice of Catholicism, the majority religion in Canada, was seen by colonists as an "establishment" of the faith in the colonies which were overwhelmingly Protestant. Furthermore, colonists resented
4130-407: The war in 1779 as an ally of France, followed by the Dutch Republic in 1780. The British found themselves fighting a global war on four continents without a single ally. After 1778, the British switched the focus of their efforts to the defence of the West Indies , as their sugar wealth made them much more valuable to Great Britain than the Thirteen Colonies . In 1779, Great Britain was faced with
4200-421: Was Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1770 to 1782. He led Great Britain through most of the American Revolutionary War . He also held a number of other cabinet posts, including Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer . North's reputation among historians has varied wildly, reaching its lowest point in the late 19th century, when he was depicted as a creature of the king and an incompetent who lost
4270-431: Was added a small tax. This angered the colonists. News of the Boston Tea Party reached England in January 1774. Parliament responded by passing four laws. Three of the laws were intended to directly punish Massachusetts. This was for the destruction of private property, to restore British authority in Massachusetts, and to otherwise reform colonial government in America. On 22 April 1774, Prime Minister Lord North defended
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#17328370158944340-436: Was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 1st Somerset Militia on 23 June 1759 when it was embodied for fulltime service, and commanded it in the West Country for Earl Poulett , the colonel, who was also Lord Lieutenant of Somerset . However, North resigned in November 1761 and concentrated on his political career. In November 1763, he was chosen to speak for the government concerning radical MP John Wilkes . Wilkes had made
4410-416: Was called out and martial law imposed. Public opinion, especially in middle-class and elite circles, repudiated anti-Catholicism and violence, and rallied behind the North government. Demands were made for a London police force. Britain's fortunes in the war in America had temporarily improved following the failure of a Franco-American attack on Newport and the prosecution of a Southern strategy that saw
4480-405: Was effectively run by Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton , with North as one of its most senior members. In December 1767, he succeeded Charles Townshend as Chancellor of the Exchequer . With the resignation of the secretary of state Henry Seymour Conway in early 1768, North became Leader of the Commons as well. He continued to serve when Pitt was succeeded by Grafton in October. When
4550-401: Was not stipulated that this would include reimbursement for lost earnings during the period for which they would be unable to work, leaving few with the ability to testify. George Washington called this the "Murder Act" because he believed that it allowed officials to harass colonists and then escape justice. Many colonists believed the act was unnecessary because British soldiers had been given
4620-423: Was ready for war, however, and in the face of a strong mobilisation of the British fleet, the French compelled the Spanish to back down. Louis also dismissed the Duc de Choiseul , the hawkish Chief Minister of France, who had advocated war and a large invasion of Great Britain by the French. The British government's prestige and popularity were enormously boosted by the incident. It had successfully managed to drive
4690-734: Was related to Samuel Pepys and the 3rd Earl of Bute . He at times had a slightly turbulent relationship with his father Francis North, yet they were very close. In his early years, the family was not wealthy, though their situation improved in 1735 when his father inherited property from his cousin. Frederick's mother, Lady Lucy Montagu, a daughter of George Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax and his first wife, Ricarda Posthuma Staltonstall, died in 1734. His father remarried, but his stepmother, Elizabeth Kaye, widow of George Legge, Viscount Lewisham, eldest son of William Legge, 1st Earl of Dartmouth and his wife, Lady Anne Finch, third daughter of Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Aylesford , died in 1745, when Frederick
4760-672: Was sculpted by John Flaxman RA. His son George North, Lord North , took over the constituency of Banbury, and in 1792 acceded to his father's title. Wroxton Abbey is now owned by Fairleigh Dickinson University , ironically an American college, and the modernised abbey serves as a location for American students to study abroad in England. Lord North is today predominantly remembered as the Prime Minister "who lost America". Both Lord North Street and Guilford Street in London are named after him. On 20 May 1756 Lord North married Anne Speke (before 1741 – 1797), daughter of George Speke MP, of Whitelackington in Somerset. She
4830-507: Was the first of the laws passed in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party. It closed the port of Boston until the colonists paid for the destroyed tea and the king was satisfied that order had been restored. Colonists objected that the Port Act punished all of Boston rather than just the individuals who had destroyed the tea, and that they were being punished without having been given an opportunity to testify in their own defense. The Massachusetts Government Act provoked even more outrage than
4900-400: Was thirteen. One of his stepbrothers was William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth , who remained a close friend for life. He was educated at Eton College between 1742 and 1748 and at Trinity College, Oxford , where in 1750 he was awarded an MA . After leaving Oxford , he travelled in Europe on a Grand Tour with Lord Dartmouth. They stayed in Leipzig for nearly nine months, studying under
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