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Primary sourceDocument1774

Massachusetts Government Act 1775

1774

A 1774 act of Parliament that stripped away Massachusetts's self-governing charter, passed as Hutchinson was replaced as governor.

North personally urged Parliament to pass this act as head of the government, directly shaping colonial policy.

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What it is

Passed by the British Parliament and given royal assent on 20 May 1774, this act abolished the 1691 charter of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. It gave the royally-appointed governor sweeping new powers, including control over town meetings and the appointment of judges and officials.

Why it matters

The act was one of the Coercive Acts passed in response to the Boston Tea Party, and it came as Thomas Hutchinson was being replaced as governor by General Thomas Gage. It dismantled the system of government Hutchinson had defended for years, and its passage preceded his departure into exile in Britain. Colonists saw it as proof that Parliament would override their traditional rights, and it became one of the causes of the American Revolution.

Look closer

  • Why might Parliament have believed that restricting town meetings would restore order?
  • How does this act connect to Hutchinson's own position as governor and his eventual exile?
  • What does the colonists' response—setting up an alternative government—tell you about the limits of this law?

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