The Boston Tea Party

European countries developed a taste for tea in the 17th century and England embraced the new taste wholeheartedly. In 1698, Parliament than gave the British East India Company a monopoly on the importation of tea.

When tea became popular in the British colonies, an act was passed that colonists were only to import tea from Britain, illuminating competition from other trading companies. There was already a 25% tax in place on imported tea plus an additional tax for consumption within Britain. The British East India Company did not deal directly with the colonies and all Tea was wholesaled and exported to merchants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston. Tea became an expensive commodity for the colonists.

The Dutch Republic was not taxing tea, which meant that Britons and the Colonies were smuggling tea supplied by The Dutch East India Company from the lowlands. The biggest market for illicit tea was in England. The British East India Company was losing £400,000 annually to this tea smuggling.

The Tea Party was a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act passed by British Parliament. Partially to blame was the financial problems the British East India Company faced. The Colonist objected to this Tea Act because they believed that it violated their rights as Englishmen to "No taxation without representation". They wanted to be taxed by their own elected representatives and not by the British Parliament in which they were not represented.

The Boston Tea Party was an event that took place in 1773, when a group of 30 to 130 men, some disguised as Mohawk warriors, illegally boarded three tea trading ships at Griffin’s Wharf. The Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver were the targets and 342 chests of tea was thrown in the Boston Harbour. The event became iconic in the American History.