The Boston Tea Party: A Budding Revolution

The 1773 Boston Tea Party arose from colonial outrage over the Tea Act, a measure meant to curb smuggling and aid the East India Company but viewed in Boston as a monopoly threatening colonial liberty. Merchants denounced the act, and tensions peaked when three tea-laden ships arrived. About 100 men boarded the vessels and dumped the cargo into the harbor. Historian Richard Bell interprets the protest as an early stand against corporate power and global economic influence, an act that worsened relations between the Crown and colonies and helped set the stage for revolution.