The Boston Tea Party, which took place in 1773, was a significant protest by the American colonists against British taxation, particularly the Tea Act. Colonists, frustrated by "taxation without representation," boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance sparked a series of punitive measures from Britain, known as the Intolerable Acts, which further inflamed tensions. In the long run, it mobilized colonists towards collective action, galvanizing support for independence and eventually leading to the Revolutionary War. The event is often regarded as a foundational moment in American history.