Answer:
It was a protest that included the illegal dumping of a shipment of goods.
Step-by-step explanation:
The shipment of the goods (tea in this case), was by all means legal under the British government, which ruled over the 13 colonies at the time. They were sent from the British East India Company, which needed a larger market to stay afloat, as their business was failing. However, the colonists believe that the shipment was a token of showing the tax first hand to the colonists, so they eliminated the shipment before it could be taxed and offloaded in the colonies.