The British Parliament punished Massachusetts
by closing Boston’s port and by restricting local
authority. Colonists called these new laws the
Intolerable Acts and united to oppose them. All
the colonies except Georgia sent representatives
to Philadelphia in September 1774 to talk about
their “present unhappy state.” It was the First
Continental Congress.
Colonists were angry with the British for taking
away their rights, but not everyone agreed on
the solution. Loyalists wanted to stay subjects
under the king. Moderates wanted to compro-
mise and build a better relationship with the
British government. The revolutionaries wanted
complete independence. They began collecting
weapons and getting men ready—waiting for the
fght for independence.
Quiz
1. Which act caused the greatest reaction from
the colonists?
A. The Currency Act
B. The Stamp Act
C. The Quartering Act
2. What did the colonists throw into Boston
Harbor?
A. Stamps
B. British paper money
C. Tea
3. What did moderates in the colonies wish for
in their relationship to Britain?
A. For everything to stay the way it was
B. To move to Britain and leave the colonies
C. A compromise and a better relationship
with the British government