The Boston Tea Party, which occurred on December 16, 1773, was a significant act of protest against British taxation and policies in the American colonies. Colonists, frustrated with "taxation without representation," disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance galvanized colonial opposition to British rule, leading to increased tensions between Britain and the colonies. In response, the British government passed the Coercive Acts, further inflaming colonial resentment and contributing to the unification of the colonies that ultimately culminated in the American Revolutionary War.