Boston Tea Party facts

• Where: Boston Harbor.

• Who: From 30 to 130 American colonists, a few dressed in pseudo Mohawk costumes.

• What: Dumped about 342 chests (92,000 pounds) of tea owned by the British East India Co. from three ships into the water.

• Why: Part of a standoff between the colonists and the British government over who had the right to tax Americans. Taxes were levied by the British Parliament, where Americans were not allowed to serve. The Americans said only their colonial assemblies could tax them.

The colonists refused to let the tea be unloaded because the tax would then be paid by the merchants who ordered it, called “consignees.” In other cities, consignees were persuaded to refuse delivery and the challenged tea ships returned to England. But the British governor in Boston refused to let the ships return to England.

• Reaction: The angry British closed the port of Boston, causing great hardship in the colony. But in 1775, Parliament stopped taxing any colony that agreed to pay for the upkeep of British soldiers. The Tea Act was repealed in 1778.

Sources: Boston Tea Party Historical Society; Wikipedia.org; “The Boston Tea Party” by Robert Allison.