The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. This pivotal event in American history was a protest against British taxation without representation, specifically the Tea Act, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies at a lower cost, undermining local merchants. In response, a group of American colonists, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water. The Boston Tea Party galvanized colonial resistance against British rule, leading to the imposition of punitive measures by the British government, further escalating tensions that culminated in the American Revolution.