The Boston Tea Party, which occurred in 1773, was a significant event in American history that expressed colonists' discontent with British taxation without representation. The catalyst for this act of defiance was the Tea Act, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, undercutting local merchants. In protest, colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of civil disobedience galvanized colonial resistance and led to the imposition of punitive measures by Britain, escalating tensions that ultimately contributed to the American Revolution.