Tea Act

May 10, 1773

Parliament, desperate to save the bankrupt East India Company, gave it a monopoly on tea exports to America - undercutting colonial smugglers and imposing a token duty. The cheap tea was, from London's viewpoint, a gift. From Boston's viewpoint, it was a trap to legitimize taxation through bargain shopping. On December 16 the Sons of Liberty settled the argument by dumping 342 chests of tea into the harbor.