The Boston Tea Party, which occurred on December 16, 1773, was primarily sparked by the Tea Act, a component of the broader Townshend Acts.

This legislation granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies, infuriating colonists who were already resentful of taxation without representation. In protest, a group of colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This bold act of defiance against British authority became a significant catalyst for the American Revolution, galvanizing colonial resistance and uniting the colonies against British oppression.