The Boston Tea Party in 1773 was sparked by growing tensions between American colonists and the British government over taxation without representation. The catalyst was the Tea Act, which granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies, allowing them to sell directly to consumers at reduced prices while undercutting local merchants. Colonists viewed this as an attempt to impose further control and taxation. In protest, a group of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water, highlighting their resistance against British authority and solidifying colonial unity against oppressive policies.