In 1773 it was establised by the British Parliament to essentially save the East India Company from bankruptcy. It greatly lowered the Tea Tax it paid to the government. It was a tea tax on any imported tea from Britain. The effect of this? The Sons of Liberty organized a protest against the Tea Act known as the Boston Tea Party. They dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. They declared the famous "taxation without representation" slogan while doing so.
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