The Tea Act

The Tea Act of 1773 was a British law aimed at assisting the struggling British East India Company by allowing it to sell surplus tea directly to the American colonies, bypassing local merchants. This meant the company could offer tea at a lower price, but it effectively established a monopoly over tea sales. Colonists opposed the Act, viewing it as another example of taxation without representation, as they were still subject to British tax policies. The resulting unrest contributed to protests, including the Boston Tea Party, where colonists dumped British tea into the harbor as a form of resistance.