What happened during the Boston Tea Party?

• A. Colonists burned tea shipments in the harbor
• B. Colonists boarded ships and dumped tea into Boston Harbor dressed as Mohawk Indians
• C. British Parliament taxed tea at higher rates
• D. British officers confiscated colonial boats

Answer: (B)

This question tests understanding of a deliberate act of colonial protest against British taxation and monopoly in the 1770s. During the Boston Tea Party, colonists chose a dramatic, symbolic act: they boarded ships harbored in Boston, dumped tea into the harbor, and did so while wearing Mohawk-style disguises to conceal their identities and make a bold political statement. The action was aimed at opposing the Tea Act, which kept a tax on tea and gave the British East India Company a monopoly, signaling that colonists would not quietly accept taxes and favors granted to the imperial economy without representation.

So, the event isn’t about destroying ships, burning shipments, or confiscating boats by British authorities; it’s about a public display of resistance—dumping the tea as a protest against taxation and monopoly. This moment helped escalate tensions between Britain and the colonies and contributed to the path toward independence.