The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773 as a direct protest against British taxation without representation. American colonists, frustrated with the Tea Act, which granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales and imposed taxes, disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor. They dumped 342 chests of tea into the water, an act of defiance symbolizing collective resistance to British rule. This event significantly escalated tensions between the colonies and Britain, contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War and galvanizing the movement for independence by promoting unity among the dissenting colonies.