In 1770 violent protests by the Colonists lead Parliament to abolish the Townshend duties except for the duties on tea. Because of these the Colonists started drinking smuggle Dutch tea. These lead to a decline in tea sales in the colonies. 1773 the Parliament passed the Tea Act as a measure to avoid the English East India company from bankruptcy. The new regulations allowed the company to sell tea at lower prices than smuggle tea even with the duty in effect.
On November three ships arrived to the Boston Harbor, the Dartmouth, The Eleanor, and the Beaver, with English tea. The colonists demanded the tea to be sent back to England but Massachusetts governor refused. Because of that Samuel Adams organized the Tea Party.
December 16, 1773 a band of fifty patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians went to Boston Harbor were the three ships were docked. The Sons of Liberty boarded each of the three ships and, once on board they started striking the chests with hatchets and axes. Once the crates were open the tea was dumped into the sea. Many spectators just watched silently until patriots caught Charles O’Conner filling his coat with tea. He was threatened to death if he revealed the identity of any man on board and sent him out of town. By nine p.m the Sons of Liberty had emptied 342 crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. Fearing any connection to their deed they swept the ships’ decks and made each ships first mate declare that only the teas was damaged. The British tea dumped in Boston Harbor on that night was valued at some $18,000.
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