On what date did the Boston Tea Party take place, a protest remembered in the lead-up to America250?

The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773, in Boston Harbor. Colonists protested the Tea Act by boarding ships and throwing East India Company tea into the water.

The Tea Act allowed the East India Company to sell tea in the colonies under favorable conditions, while colonists still objected to Parliament imposing taxes without colonial representation. The protest became a powerful symbol of resistance to British policy.

The action was organized by the Sons of Liberty. Participants disguised themselves, and approximately 340 chests of tea were destroyed, although historical accounts differ on the exact number.

Britain responded with the Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by many colonists. These measures intensified conflict and helped lead to the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775, which began the Revolutionary War.