Student Article
The Boston Tea Party: The Protest That Sparked Revolution
Monopoly (noun): The control of a market or product by a single company or group.
Slogan (noun): A phrase or saying used to express a political or social idea.
Taxation (noun): The process of imposing financial charges on citizens by a government.
In 1773, American colonists were furious about the British government’s new Tea Act. The law allowed the East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, bypassing colonial merchants and giving the company a monopoly on tea sales. In December of that year, angry colonists in Boston decided to take action.
The start of rebellion
On the night of December 16, around 100 colonists, many from the Sons of Liberty, boarded three ships at Boston Harbor. They threw 46 tons of tea into the water in protest of the Tea Act and the unfair taxes it imposed.
A protest for freedom
The protest, known as the Boston Tea Party, was part of a larger movement against British control. The colonists believed they should not be taxed without having a voice in Britain’s government — hence the slogan "No taxation without representation."
British retaliation and the path to revolution
The British government responded harshly by passing laws that punished Massachusetts, shutting down the Boston port and limiting freedoms. These actions fueled even more resistance across the colonies, leading to the formation of the First Continental Congress in 1774, a key step toward independence.
© Elinor Evans / www.historyextra.com
Monopoly (noun): The control of a market or product by a single company or group.
Slogan (noun): A phrase or saying used to express a political or social idea.
Taxation (noun): The process of imposing financial charges on citizens by a government.