What Was The Significance of The Boston Tea Party?

On December 16, 1773, colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, boarded three ships that had arrived in the city’s harbor and dumped 342 chests of imported tea into the water. This event came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. The purpose of this action was to protest a tax on tea which had been passed by the British Parliament and was being enforced by British officials in America. The Boston Tea Party was an important event leading up to the American Revolution; it proved that many colonists were willing to take drastic measures to oppose what they saw as unfair British government policies. The Boston Tea Party is viewed as a major factor in the eventual decision by many colonists to declare their independence from Britain. The Boston Tea Party was a significant event in American history and has been widely studied and commemorated. Although the event is often remembered for the destruction of British tea, it was actually sparked by the passage of the Tea Act, which gave the East India Company a monopoly on the sale of tea in America. The act proved to be extremely unpopular among colonists, who felt that they were being unfairly taxed by Parliament; this spawned an organized protest that culminated in an act of civil disobedience when colonists threw British tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party is widely considered to be a key moment in American history: it demonstrated the power of peaceful protest and civil disobedience; it helped develop American political thought; and it continues to be celebrated today as an important part of American folklore.