The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was one of a long series of conflicts between the American colonies and the British government. The decision by the British government in 1773 to grant the East India Company the right to import tea to the North American colonies tax-free was intended to undermine the economy of the colonies. It provoked the indignation of the colonists, especially the merchants who dealt in contraband tea. In December 1773 a group of members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Indians, secretly boarded British ships standing in Boston harbor and threw a large quantity of tea into the sea. The subsequent closing of Boston harbor, ban on meetings of the townspeople, and quartering of British soldiers in the city further sharpened the conflict between the mother country and the colonies.

to grant the right – предоставитьправо

tax-free – не облагаемый налогом

toundermine – подрывать, дестабилизировать

indignation – негодование, возмущение

merchant – торговец

todealwith – вести дела с

harbor – гавань

subsequent – последующий