The Boston Tea Party

1773-12-16Boston, Massachusettshigh importance

On December 16, 1773, American colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance was a protest against the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. The British response, the Intolerable Acts, pushed the colonies closer to revolution.

Key Takeaways

1

Direct act of defiance against British rule

2

Led to the Intolerable Acts

3

Unified colonial resistance