Final answer:
Thomas Jefferson referred to the Coercive Acts, enacted by British Parliament in response to the Boston Tea Party. These acts closed Boston Harbor and imposed severe restrictions on the local colonial governance. This contributed significantly to escalating the conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject in question, Thomas Jefferson, is referring to the Coercive Acts, a response by the British Parliament to the Boston Tea Party, an act of rebellion against the Tea Act by American Colonists. The Coercive Acts included the Boston Port Act which closed Boston Harbor until the damages caused by the Boston Tea Party were repaid to the East India Company. These acts were regarded by the colonists as incredibly harsh and became known as the Intolerable Acts.
This caused a significant escalation in the conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies, leading to more unified resistance that eventually culminated in the American Revolution. The Coercive Acts not only closed the Boston Harbor but severely limited the powers and autonomy of the local colonial government, causing uproar amongst the colonists and stiffening their resolve against the British rule.
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