The Boston Tea Party saw American colonists dump tea into Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773.
The protest opposed the Tea Act, which Parliament passed in 1773 to help the financially troubled British East India Company sell tea in the American colonies. Many colonists objected to the act because it reinforced taxation without colonial representation, even though it made some tea cheaper.
Protesters boarded three ships—Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver—and destroyed 342 chests of tea. The participants attempted to avoid damaging other cargo and did not steal the tea. The exact identities of many participants remained secret at the time.
Britain responded with the Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by many colonists. These measures intensified resistance and helped lead to the First Continental Congress in 1774. The Boston Tea Party is therefore a clear prelude to the independence milestones remembered by America250.