The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773. American colonists were angry about taxes on tea from Britain. They felt it was unfair to be taxed without having a voice. So they dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor as a protest.

Why It Happened

Britain ruled the American colonies and made them pay taxes. One tax was on tea, and colonists did not like it. They said it was unfair because they had no say in British laws. Many people stopped buying British tea to protest.

An old painting showing American colonists making big plans.
An old painting showing American colonists making big plans. (John Trumbull / Wikimedia Commons)

The Night of the Protest

A group called the Sons of Liberty planned the protest. Some dressed up as Mohawk people to hide who they were. They climbed onto three ships in Boston Harbor. Then they broke open tea chests and threw all the tea into the water.

Fun Facts

  • The tea they dumped would be worth over one million dollars today.
  • No one was hurt during the protest, and only one padlock was broken.
  • The protest was not called the 'Tea Party' until many years later.

Did You Know?

The colonists were so careful that they even swept the ship decks clean after dumping the tea.