In words that are comprehensible today, Britain was like, "We have all the power and there's nothing the puny US can do about it!", so the US decided that they would do something. Something big. A group of people went under the blanket of the night dressed as Indians so they could not be identified and began dumping crates of tea into the water off the ship. This sent Great Britain a message; "No taxation without representation!". However the act was punished by the Intolerable Acts, meant to oppress the Americans and stop the rebellious acts committed by those who fought for their rights and for the freedom of their country.