On what date did the Boston Tea Party take place during the American Revolution?

The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. The protest occurred in Boston Harbor, where members of the Sons of Liberty boarded tea ships and dumped their cargo into the water.

The demonstrators opposed the Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament in May 1773. The law allowed the East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies while retaining a tax that many colonists viewed as unconstitutional. Their slogan was “no taxation without representation.”

The protest involved tea from three ships: Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver. Participants often disguised themselves as Native Americans, although the event was organized by colonial activists. Britain responded with the Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by colonists. These measures increased tensions and helped lead to the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The Boston Tea Party is therefore an important prewar milestone connected with the revolutionary story commemorated during America’s 250th anniversary.