BOSTON TEA PARTY
DEC 16, 1773

The British wanted to make a point by insisting on the tea tax. The Americans refused to pay the tax. Wherever they could, the American agents canceled their tea orders or boycotted it otherwise.

In Boston, however, Mr Thomas Hutchinson was governor. Hutchinson was pro-British and ready to pay the tax and unload three tea ships that had arrived earlier in Boston Harbor. Radical elements were outraged and proceeded as follows:

A group of about 60 American patriots dressed up as Native Americans, sneaked on board and pushed the tea into Boston Harbor. That was on the night of December 16, 1773. Among those who pushed the tea overboard was Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.

The tea belonged to the East India Company. The lost cargo was estimated to having had a value of GBP18,000.
 

Why did they do IT?
In a nutshell, there were two reasons.

One: Taxation without representation.

Two: The monopoly of the East India Company. The company was by law (Tea Act of 1773) entitled to be the only agency to sell tea to the colonies.

WHAT WERE THE CONSEQUENCES?
The British Parliament put a halt to Boston's sea trade until the city paid for the lost cargo. Long term, this incident contributed to the outbreak of the War of Independence.