In the wake of the Boston Tea Party, the British government in 1774 sought to rein in Massachusetts colonists with a series of harsh laws that closed Boston’s port and severely limited the right to representative government and due process of law. The fallout from these so-called Coercive Acts, including the attempted dissolution of the colony’s legislative branch, sparked intense debates within the community and became a critical factor on the road to the American Revolution.
Historians and current Massachusetts elected officials discuss and answer the audience questions on the meaning of the Coercive Acts today, with a particular focus on the role of the Massachusetts Legislature in our constitutional scheme of state government. The topics heatedly debated at the time-competing interpretations of representative government, the relative powers of the executive and legislative branches, the role of the individual and community in relation to government proper , and the consequences of resisting arbitrary power-still resonate strongly today.