Boston Tea Party
Definition
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. They dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British East India Company into the harbor as a response to the Tea Act.
Analogy
Imagine you're at a party where they only serve one type of soda that you don't like and it's also overpriced. You and your friends decide to dump all that soda down the drain to show your dissatisfaction with both the lack of choice and high price. That's kind of what happened during the Boston Tea Party, but with more historical significance!
Related terms
Tea Act: This was an act passed by British Parliament in 1773 which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to colonists, bypassing colonial merchants and leading to cheaper prices but also monopolizing tea trade.
Sons of Liberty: A secret revolutionary organization founded by Samuel Adams in the Thirteen American Colonies to advance rights of European colonists and fight taxation by British government.
Intolerable Acts: These were punitive laws passed by British Parliament in 1774 after Boston Tea Party meant to punish Massachusetts colonists for their defiance.
"Boston Tea Party" appears in:
Study guides (1)
Practice Questions (8)
What was the significance of the Boston Tea Party?
How are Bacon's Rebellion (1676), Whiskey Rebellion (1794), and Boston Tea Party (1773) similar?
Which act passed by Britain led to widespread protest in the American colonies, resulting in the Boston Tea Party?
Which act passed by the British Parliament led to the Boston Tea Party?
Which act was passed by Britain in response to the Boston Tea Party and further intensified colonial resistance against British rule?
What law passed in response to Boston Tea Party was seen as one of the major triggers for the American Revolution?
Who was the British Prime Minister when the Tea Act, which led to the Boston Tea Party, was passed?
What was a key outcome of the Boston Tea Party in 1773?
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