What significant event is referred to as the Boston Tea Party?

The Boston Tea Party is a pivotal event in American history that symbolizes colonists' protest against British taxation without representation. In 1773, American colonists were furious over the Tea Act, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, undermining local merchants and enforcing a tax on tea that was imposed without colonial consent. In response, colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 342 chests of tea into the water. This act of defiance was not just a protest against a specific tax; it became a rallying cry for the growing desire for independence from British rule. The Boston Tea Party exemplified the colonists' resentment towards the British government and helped to ignite the revolutionary spirit that would eventually lead to the American Revolution.