In the early 1700s, the British decided to monopolize the tea business. The British made a deal with the East India Company so that only their tea would be sold in Britain and its colonies. With this being the only place to buy tea, the East India Company could charge whatever they wished for tea, no matter how high the cost. This was a big problem for many, especially those in America. The colonists in America did not want to pay such high prices for tea, so instead, they began to buy tea from Dutch smugglers. This act was risky and they knew it but, if the colonists bought tea from the smugglers, it was less expensive, and the quality was the same. When the 1760s rolled around, the East India Company was losing hundreds of thousands of pounds (British Currency). …show more content…
The colonists were outraged, considering this was the second time the British government had taxed them. This angered the colonists because an act could only be passed if the members of Parliament voted, and the colonists had no one to represent themselves. All of this led up to the saying, "No taxation without representation!" With the Tea Act of 1773, Parliament allowed the East India Company to sell their tea much cheaper, cutting the American merchants from the process, and sending the tea straight to the