The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. It was a raid by Americans colonists on three ships in the Boston Harbor. The colonists disguised themselves as Indians and emptied 342 chests of tea into the harbor so they wouldnt have to pay the British tax on tea. The response that the British had about it united the colonists and brought them closer to movement for American independence.     In 1767, the British Parliament placed import taxes on many items that were imported to America. Many colonists thought that this was unfair and illegal, so they refused to pay them. In 1770, the British government removed all the taxes, except for one on imported tea. In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act to help get the East India Company, which was a British trading company, out of financial trouble. The act made it possible for the company to sell tea at a low price. Soon the tea was shipped to America for supply to agents of the East India Trading Company, who were given monopoly on its sale. The colonists feared that the tea monopoly would put some of their local merchants out of business. He colonists also thought that if they paid the taxes on tea, the British would impose other taxes on them. After the ships arrived in Boston Harbor, the colonists tried to get them sent back to England. Governor Thomas Hutchinson rejected their efforts, which lead to the Boston Tea Party. At a signal possibly given by resistance leader Samuel Adams, an unknown number of men, possibly over 100, boarded the ships dressed as Indians, and dumped the tea overboard. The British government reacted in 1774 by passing several cruel measures that became known as the Intolerable Acts. These acts united the disagreement to British rule and ended up leading to the Second Continental Congress, which was a gathering of representatives from the 12 American Colonies.