Boston Tea Party was a raid by American colonists on three ships in Boston Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773. Colonists disguised as Indians emptied 342 chests of tea into the harbor. They did so to avoid payment of a British tax on tea. The British response helped unify the colonists and strengthened the movement for American independence.
In 1767, the British Parliament had placed duties (import taxes) on several items imported into America. Many colonists considered such taxes illegal. They were determined not to pay the duties. In 1770, the British government repealed all the duties except for one on imported tea. In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act to help the East India Company, a British trading company, out of financial trouble. This act enabled the company to sell tea in America at a low price. But the tea was still subject to the duty established in 1767. Soon the tea was shipped to America for distribution to agents of the East India Company. The agents received a monopoly on its sale. Colonists feared the tea monopoly would put some of their patriotic local merchants out of business. In addition, the colonists thought that if they paid the duty on tea, the British would impose other taxes.
After the tea ships arrived in Boston Harbor, the colonists tried to get them sent back to England. Governor Thomas Hutchinson rejected those efforts. An unknown number of men, possibly 100 or more, boarded the ships and dumped the tea overboard. The signal for the raid may have come from resistance leader Samuel Adams. The British government reacted in 1774 by passing several harsh measures. The laws became known in America as the Intolerable Acts. These acts united the opposition to British rule. The opposition led to the First Continental Congress, a gathering of representatives from 12 of the American Colonies.
