The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773, as a protest against British taxation and colonial policies.
That night, members and supporters of the Sons of Liberty boarded ships in Boston Harbor and dumped East India Company tea into the water. The protest followed a large meeting at the Old South Meeting House, where participants opposed unloading the tea under the Tea Act while retaining the principle of taxation without representation.
The action was not a casual act of vandalism: participants generally avoided damaging the ships and other cargo. In response, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by many colonists. Those measures closed Boston Harbor and restricted Massachusetts self-government, intensifying the conflict that led to the Revolutionary War.