Final answer:
The colonists threw the tea into the ocean in Boston as a protest against the Tea Act. This act gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea and violated the colonists' rights. The Boston Tea Party became a significant act of resistance and a catalyst for the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
The colonists threw all that perfectly good tea into the ocean in Boston as a protest against the Tea Act imposed by the British government. This act gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea and threatened the livelihood of colonial merchants. The colonists believed that the tax on tea violated their rights to be taxed only by their own elected representatives, so they decided to take action and show their opposition by dumping the tea into the harbor. This event, known as the Boston Tea Party, became a significant act of resistance and a catalyst for the American Revolution.