When Did The Boston Tea Party Start and End?

On December 16, 1773, colonists disguised as Native Americans boarded three ships in Boston Harbor and threw more than 90,000 pounds of tea into the water. This event is known as the Boston Tea Party. The tea was being held by the British East India Company in order to avoid paying a tax on it that had been imposed by Great Britain’s Parliament. The destruction of the tea was a protest against both Parliament’s taxation policy and the company’s monopoly on tea imports. The event escalated tensions between Great Britain and its American colonies that eventually led to the American Revolution in 1775. The Boston Tea Party was a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Revolution. The Boston Tea Party ended on December 31, 1773. In 1773, colonists boarded three ships owned by the British East India Company and threw their cargo of tea into Boston Harbor as a protest against taxation without representation. The Boston Tea Party is commemorated every year on December 16, and The Boston Tea Party Museum is located on Congress Street in Boston. Founded in 1985, The Boston Tea Party Museum preserves the history of this important event and offers educational programming for all ages.