Tea Act of 1773

The Tea Act of 1773 was a British law designed to help the struggling British East India Company by allowing it to sell tea directly to the American colonies, bypassing colonial merchants and effectively lowering the price. However, this angered many colonists who saw it as another example of taxation without representation, as they were forced to buy British tea while their own businesses were undermined. The act fueled protests, leading to events like the Boston Tea Party, where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor in defiance of the law, escalating tensions between Britain and the colonies.