(lively patriotic music) - [Narrator] The Boston Tea Party was a key moment in the buildup to the American Revolution, but not all colonial leaders agreed with the demonstration.

The Tea Act of 1773 granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea, sparking outrage among the colonies, who felt it was yet another overstep by King George III.

Colonists forced several tea ships back to Great Britain in an act of defiance, but under the command of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson, the tea ships in Boston remained, so the Sons of Liberty boarded these ships, opened chests of tea, and dumped them in the harbor.

While Samuel and John Adams praised the efforts, Benjamin Franklin felt that the Sons of Liberty should reimburse the East India company, and George Washington believed they had gone too far.

Less than 18 months after the Boston Tea Party, the Patriots would go to war with Great Britain.

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