Early 1775 found the British Parliament embroiled in debates over the most effective way to deal with the errant North American colonies. The Boston Tea Party in late 1773 provoked a firm Parliamentary response with the Coercive Acts in the following year. The American counter-response came in the form of protests, boycotts and violence. The Americans, however, still had friends in high places. The Earl of Chatham, member of the House of Lords, hoped in early 1775 to alleviate the crisis by proposing the removal of soldiers from Boston, the hotbed of colonial resistance. This idea was firmly rejected by the House of Lords, but Chatham tried again to calm the waters. He proposed that if the Americans would formally recognize Parliamentary supremacy and enact their own plan for generating revenues, then the British government would back off from its tax programs and extend recognition to the Continental Congress. This plan was also quickly killed by Chatham’s colleagues. Lord North, the Prime Minister, advanced a similar idea in the House of Commons in February 1775. He proposed that if the colonies would tax themselves in amounts sufficient to pay for their own defense and for the salaries of royal judges and other officials, then Parliament would not impose taxes on them. This measure found favor in Commons and was approved, but awaited consideration by the Lords and the king. Probably more indicative of Parliamentary sentiments was a measure passed at this same time and approved by George III on March 30. The New England Restraining Act singled out the northeastern colonies, much as the Coercive Acts had done earlier, as the source of unrest and disciplined them as follows: