Colonial Resistance to the Tea Act

As a result, many colonists refused to buy British tea. Also, the colonists were

able to get cheaper tea directly from Dutch and French traders who smuggled it to American merchants.

Mercantilist Policies Lead to the Tea Act In the 1770s, the British East

India Company found itself in deep financial trouble, due in part to dwindling tea sales in the

American colonies. As a result, more than 15 million pounds of tea sat unsold in British

warehouses. Parliament tried to help the British East India Company by passing the Tea

Act of 1773. The act let the company bypass colonial tea merchants and sell directly to

colonists. The Tea Act also gave the British East India Company a rebate on tea