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In simplest terms, the Boston Tea Party happened as a 

result of "taxation without representation", yet the cause 

is more complex than that. The American colonists 

believed Britain was unfairly taxing them to pay for 

expenses incurred during the French and Indian war. 

Additionally, colonists believed Parliament did not have 

the right to tax them because the American colonists 

were not represented in Parliament.

The French and Indian War was a seven year war between 

England and the American colonies, against the French and 

some of the Indians in North America. When the war ended, 

France was no longer in control of Canada. The Indians that 

had been threatening the American colonists were defeated. 

This war had become a world war. Great Britain spent a great 

deal of money fighting the war and colonists fully participated 

in this war. 

The Stamp Act was passed by British Parliament on 

March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all 

American colonists and required them to pay a tax on 

every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, 

legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other 

publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The 

money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to 

help pay the costs of defending and protecting the 

American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains. 

Despite of the Stamp Act, Parliament still needed to 

recover the money required to finance the French and 

Indian War. Tension between the British and Americans 

grew even more intense when Parliament passed the 

1767 Townshend Act. The Townshend Act authorized 

Parliament to issue a new set of taxes on in demand 

imports such as glass, lead, paint, and tea. 

The situation in Boston grew more tense by the 

day. Local skirmishes between townspeople and 

British soldiers (redcoats) increased in frequency 

as did belligerence toward British soldiers. Rumors 

abounded throughout the city about possible 

attacks by soldiers or by the Sons of Liberty. 

On December 16, 1773, the Sons of 

Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, planned 

to show Parliament how they felt about 

the Tea Act. They boarded the British 

ship "Dartmouth" docked in Boston 

Harbor, dressed up as Indians, and 

dumped the entire load of tea into the 

water. This event came to be known as 

the Boston Tea Party. 

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