The significance of the historical event known as the Boston Tea Party, which took place on December 16, 1773, lies in its role in escalating tensions between the American colonies and Britain. In response to the Tea Act, which granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales and imposed taxes without colonial representation, American colonists protested by dumping 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance galvanized colonial resistance against British taxation policies and was pivotal in uniting the colonies against what they viewed as oppressive British rule. It ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.