Tea Act

The Tea Act was an important junction in United States History. Research papers that examine the Tea Act focus on the important points of the Act and the men involved in this legislation that was a foundation of colonial formation.

In 1773, Parliament enacted the Tea Act.This let companies bypass middlemen and sell directly to the American retailers.The colonists felt that this was a British scheme to get them to drink taxed tea that was cheaper and trick them.The British had already enacted the Stamp Act in 1765 and the Townshend Acts in 1767 that had angered the Colonists. Colonial political opposition and economic boycotts eventually forced repeal of these acts, but Parliament left the import duty on tea as a symbol of its authority.In September of 1773 the company was about to ship 500,000 pounds of tea to Boston and other North American cities.The merchants in these cities decided they would not sell the tea.Their unification with radical patriots helped persuade them.This increased the revolutionary feelings among colonists and merchants affected by British rule.

The Tea Act and Parliamentary Supremacy

In Boston, several men wanted to resist "Parliamentary supremacy over colonial legislatures".They were:

• John Adams
• Sam Adams
• Josiah Quincy
• John Hancock

Everyone refused to accept the tea when it arrived.Finally, about 60 men disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded the three ships at Griffin's Wharf. The ships' crew aided them, and the"Indians" tossed 342 chests of tea worth £18,000 into Boston Bay.Obviously, this did not contribute to British government's mercantilism and the government was furious.The event became known as the "Boston Tea Party."The government introduced the Intolerable Acts of 1774, and this eliminated self-government in Massachusetts.It also closed down Boston's port.