What event occurred in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, when colonists dumped tea overboard?

The Boston Tea Party occurred in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, when colonists dumped tea into the water.

The protest opposed the Tea Act, a law that allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the American colonies under favorable conditions. Many colonists objected that the law preserved taxation without colonial representation, even though it made some tea cheaper.

That night, participants boarded three ships—Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver—and destroyed 342 chests of tea. The cargo belonged to the East India Company, and the protestors avoided taking other goods. The event was organized partly by members of the Sons of Liberty, though the identities of many participants were kept secret.

Britain responded with the Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by many colonists. These measures tightened control over Massachusetts and helped lead to the First Continental Congress in 1774. The Boston Tea Party was therefore both a local protest and a major escalation in the crisis before the Revolutionary War.