Question

The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly in the colonies. Despite the fact that cheaper tea would now be available, the new law fanned the flames of colonial resentment toward Britain. Why?

a) It increased taxes on tea.
b) It granted a monopoly to the British East India Company.
c) It restricted tea imports from other countries.
d) It imposed a curfew on tea consumption.

Answer 1

The Tea Act of 1773 led to colonial resentment because it granted a monopoly to the British East India Company and affirmed British authority to impose 'taxation without representation' through the remaining Townshend tax on tea.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason the Tea Act fanned the flames of colonial resentment toward Britain, despite making tea cheaper, was b) It granted a monopoly to the British East India Company. The Act enabled the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies by eliminating duties on tea coming into England which undercut the price of smuggled Dutch tea.

This angered colonial merchants who were cut out of the trade and continued to fuel the concept of 'no taxation without representation' since the Townshend tax remained on tea, symbolizing British control over the colonies.

The colonial protest intensified as the Tea Act was seen as an attempt by Britain to get the colonies to accept the tax on tea, thereby conceding to British taxation authority without colonial representation. In addition, it gave British East India Company an unfair advantage and was seen as a symbol of British corruption and favoritism towards its own interests at the expense of colonial liberty.