Final answer:
The Tea Act of 1773 led to the Boston Tea Party, which was a critical event in the build-up to the American Revolutionary War. It reflected the colonial opposition to British taxation policies and the support of economic interests in the form of the British East India Company.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Direct Consequence of the Tea Act of 1773
The Tea Act of 1773 led directly to the infamous Boston Tea Party, an aggressive demonstration of defiance against the British imposition of the Tea Act. This act not only granted the British East India Company the right to sell tea in the colonies without paying duties, hence undermining local merchants, but it also was seen by the colonists as another instance of taxation without representation. The event itself became a pivotal point in escalating tensions that finally culminated in the American Revolutionary War.
Parliament passed the Tea Act to aid the struggling British East India Company and allowed it to sell tea at a price that even undercut the smuggled Dutch tea. However, the act incited smoldering resentment amongst the colonists, who, instead of being enticed by the lower prices, recognized it as another attempt to impose taxes without granting them a say in Parliament. The colonial reaction culminated when members of the Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans, boarded tea ships in Boston Harbor and tossed the imported tea overboard, resulting in the closure of Boston port and enactment of the Coercive (Intolerable) Acts.