Summary

Boston Tea Party

 When the French and Indian won the war, the effects were costly for the British. As a way to recoup for some of their war costs Parliament began to tax the colonists. Colonists however did not pay their levies on the Townshed Acts, because they believed they did not have to pay taxes on something that they had no representation in. As a result to this Parliament retracted the taxes, with the expection of a duty on tea. Parliament acted in this way to prove that they have the abilty to tax colonists.

In May of 1773 Parliament gave the East India Company a monoply on imported tea, which was called the Tea Act. Parliament also reduced the duty on imported tea. Now colonists will be getting their tea at a very cheap price, however if the colonists paid their duty tax on tea they would be acknowledging Parliament's right to tax them. Tea was such an important drink to the colonists that they would rather pay the tax on it than not get tea at all. Colonists feared that other British companies would follow this example and threaten colonial businesses. Due to this, colonists rebelled agaisnt the tea act.   ​ In November of 1773, ships carrying British tea arrived in the Boston Harbor. Sons of Liberty demanded that the ships leave immediately, but Thomas Hutchinson, governor of Massachusetts, would not let them leave without paying a duty on the tea. Since the colonists were upset, on Decemeber 16, they disguised themselves as Indians and snuck onto the three tea-filled ships and dumped 342 tea chests into the Boston Harbor. As punishment for their actions Parliament decided to pass the Intolerable Acts.    