boston tea party

Boston Tea Party The British East India Company brought most tea to the colonists. The Company sold its tea to the colonial merchants and the merchants sold the tea to the colonists. In the 1770’s the British East India Company found itself in financial trouble. Britain had kept a tax on tea as a symbol of its right to tax the colonies. The tax was a small one but colonists resented it. They refused to …

…remain closed until the colonists paid for the tea. Second, Parliament refused colonists to hold town meetings more than once a year without the governor’s permission. Third, Parliament provided for English officers charged with major crimes to be tried in England not in Massachusetts. Fourth, Parliament passed a new Quartering Act. British commanders could force citizens to house troops in their homes. These punishments served only to unite and ignite the colonies towards war.