The Boston Tea Party
In 1773, Britain's East India Company was on the verge of bankruptcy because it had large stocks of tea that it could not sell in England. In an attempt to save the company, the British government passed the Tea Act of 1773, which gave the company the right to transport its products directly to the colonies.
With these rights, the company could cheat the American merchants and restrain the colonial trade. The Act proved to be one that angered the colonists because they feared being replaced and bankrupted by a powerful monopoly.
Many colonies made plans to stop the East India Company from landing its merchandise in colonial ports. After failing to turn back three ships in Boston Harbor, local patriots led by Samuel Adams staged an astonishing drama. On the evenight of December 16, 1773, three companies of fifty men each, disguished as Mohawk Indian, passed through a large crowd of spectators, went aboard the three ships, broke open the tea chests, and threw them into the harbor. As the surprising news of the Boston "tea party" spread, other seaports followed the example and staged similar acts of resistance.