What did the Coercive Acts of 1774 aim to do?

The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were primarily designed to punish the American colonies, particularly Massachusetts, for the Boston Tea Party, which took place in 1773. This act of defiance involved colonists dumping a large shipment of tea into Boston Harbor to protest against the Tea Act and the British taxation without representation. In response, the British government aimed to exert control and restore order by implementing a series of punitive measures.

The acts included the Boston Port Act, which closed the port of Boston until the dumped tea was paid for, along with other measures that limited town meetings and increased the power of the royal governor, thus directly targeting the self-governing practices of the colonies. The intention was to serve as a warning to other colonies that similar acts of rebellion would not be tolerated, thus solidifying the British government's stance against colonial dissent. These actions ultimately galvanized colonial resistance and unified the colonies against British rule, setting the stage for the American Revolution.

The other options do not align with the historical context surrounding the Coercive Acts. For example, they were not aimed at establishing treaties with Native Americans, extending voting rights, or facilitating trade between the colonies and Britain, as those were not central issues at the