Why did people throw tea on the ship into water?

On December 16, 1773, a group of American colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. This event, known as the Boston Tea Party, was a protest against the British government's unfair taxes on tea.

The Tea Act

In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on the sale of tea in the American colonies. This meant that colonists could only buy tea from the British East India Company, and they had to pay a tax on it.

The Colonists' Reaction

The colonists were outraged by the Tea Act. They saw it as another example of unfair taxation by the British government. They also believed that the British were trying to take away their rights as free men.

The Boston Tea Party

In response to the Tea Act, a group of colonists in Boston decided to take action. They met in secret and planned to dump the tea from the British ships into the harbor.

On the night of December 16, 1773, a group of colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the three British ships in Boston Harbor. They threw 342 chests of tea into the water.

The Aftermath

The Boston Tea Party was a major turning point in the American Revolution. It showed the British government that the colonists were willing to fight for their rights. It also helped to unite the colonists against the British.

Additional Information

* The Boston Tea Party was not the first time that colonists had protested against British taxes. In 1765, the colonists had also protested against the Stamp Act.

* The British government responded to the Boston Tea Party by passing the Coercive Acts, which were also known as the Intolerable Acts. These acts punished the colonists and made them even more angry.

* The Boston Tea Party is still celebrated today as a symbol of American independence.