The Boston Tea Party sparked the conflict between American colonists and the British government that would escalate into the American Revolution. On December 16, 1773, a group of colonists, frustrated by "taxation without representation," boarded three British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water as a protest against the Tea Act. This act of defiance highlighted colonial grievances and fueled tensions between the colonies and Britain. In response, the British government enacted the Intolerable Acts, further inflaming revolutionary sentiment and leading to organized resistance among the colonies, ultimately culminating in the struggle for independence.