Final answer:
The Sons of Liberty had difficulty finding British tea in Charleston due to a coordinated boycott against the Tea Act, where colonial port cities either locked tea away or forced ships to return the tea to Britain. This was part of a broader intention to resist unjust taxation and British intervention in colonial affairs, exemplified by actions such as the Boston Tea Party.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sons of Liberty faced difficulties finding British tea in Charleston and other American port cities because of a widespread boycott against the Tea Act.
The Committees of Correspondence coordinated these actions among the colonies, preventing ships loaded with tea from unloading their cargo. In cities like Charlestown, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York, tea was either stored away under lock or had to rot away on ships that were eventually turned back to Great Britain.
This resistance was a protest against what was seen as an imposition of an unjust tax and an infringement on colonial commerce and governance.
Moreover, this kind of resistance to the Tea Act extended to acts of defiance such as the Boston Tea Party, where Sons of Liberty members, disguised as Native Americans, dumped chests of tea into the Boston Harbor, further antagonizing King George III and British Parliament.
Overall, the difficulty in finding British tea was due to the organized rejection of the legislation by colonial leaders and groups like the Sons of Liberty, who worked to maintain control over local economies and resist British control.