The main consequence of the Tea Act of 1773, which aimed to assist the struggling British East India Company, was the provocation of widespread colonial dissent, culminating in the Boston Tea Party. The act granted the company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies while retaining a tax on tea, seen as a direct violation of colonial rights. This enraged colonists, as it undermined local merchants and reaffirmed their broader grievances against taxation without representation. The Boston Tea Party, a protest against the act, solidified colonial unity and resistance, ultimately escalating tensions between Britain and its American colonies.