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[Intolerable Acts] An Act for the better regulating the Government of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, in New-England
Artifact IDTL 2026.1.14
Object Type
Temporary Loan
Date
1774
Printer
Margaret Draper
(American, 1727 - 1804)
Place MadeBoston, Massachusetts, United States of America
Medium
book, disbound
DimensionsOverall H 4 in x W 8 7/8 in x D 13 1/4 in (10.2 cm x 22.5 cm x 33.7 cm )
Physical DescriptionA single-sheet printed legal document from an 18th-century legislative tract. The layout is structured vertically, beginning with a top line noting the regnal year "Anno Regni Decimo Quarto GEORGII III. Regis." followed by the year "1774" and a running header "Regulation of Massachuset's Bay." Below the header sits a large, detailed woodcut of the British Royal Arms featuring the lion and unicorn supporting a central shield capped by a crown. Underneath the coat of arms, the main title sections are typeset in a single justified column reading in part: "An Act of Parliament Passed in the Fourteenth Year of the Reign of His Majesty King GEORGE the Third. 1774."
A local printing of the Massachusetts Government Act, one of the so-called Intolerable Acts. The Massachusetts Government Act revoked the colony’s charter and altered its government,as punishment for the Boston Tea Party
A local printing of the Massachusetts Government Act, one of the so-called Intolerable Acts. The Massachusetts Government Act revoked the colony’s charter and altered its government,as punishment for the Boston Tea Party
Historical NoteBetween March and June 1774, Parliament passed four laws known as the Coercive Acts because of their intentions to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and to reaffirm imperial control in the colonies. (1) The Boston Port Act closed the city’s harbor until the colony compensated the East India Company for its destroyed property and the king’s treasury for its lost taxes. (2) The Massachusetts Government Act revoked the colony’s 1691 charter, replaced the elected council with crown appointees, expanded the royal governor"s authority, and limited town meetings to once a year. (3) The Administration of Justice Act allowed British officials accused of crimes in Massachusetts
to be tried elsewhere in the empire. (4) The Quartering Act compelled the billeting of the king’s army in uninhabited buildings across all of North America.
The printing is historically significant for several reasons. It is a Boston, not a London, printing of the Massachusetts Government Act. It was issued by a pro-British press that also printed the colony’s longest-running newspaper, The Boston News-Letter, which was known to be subsidized by royal officials. And it was published by a woman, Margaret Green Draper, who headed the outfit after her husband died earlier in 1774. Draper came from a family of printers; her great-grandfather, Samuel Green, produced in 1663 the first Bible printed in America. Of the roughly fifteen women who independently ran printing presses in the colonies before 1800, she was the only loyalist. After her husband’s passing, her newspaper became more extreme in its pro-crown and pro-Parliament stances. It even praised the Coercive Acts.
Additional Detailsto be tried elsewhere in the empire. (4) The Quartering Act compelled the billeting of the king’s army in uninhabited buildings across all of North America.
The printing is historically significant for several reasons. It is a Boston, not a London, printing of the Massachusetts Government Act. It was issued by a pro-British press that also printed the colony’s longest-running newspaper, The Boston News-Letter, which was known to be subsidized by royal officials. And it was published by a woman, Margaret Green Draper, who headed the outfit after her husband died earlier in 1774. Draper came from a family of printers; her great-grandfather, Samuel Green, produced in 1663 the first Bible printed in America. Of the roughly fifteen women who independently ran printing presses in the colonies before 1800, she was the only loyalist. After her husband’s passing, her newspaper became more extreme in its pro-crown and pro-Parliament stances. It even praised the Coercive Acts.
Credit Lineon loan courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPolitical Memorabilia (National Archives Identifier 1677287)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NoteThe use of this image and document information is fully restricted. Reproduction in any manner is not allowed.On view
