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Quizzes > History

Boston Tea Party quiz: Test your knowledge

Quick, free history quiz with Boston Tea Party questions. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Alexus JohnsonUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art illustration for Boston Tea Party history quiz on sky blue background

Use this Boston Tea Party quiz to check what you know about the protest, its causes, and what followed. It takes minutes, gives instant feedback, and is great for brushing up on colonial America. When you finish, try our US trivia quiz or explore the other side with a British trivia quiz; history buffs can also tackle a focused presidents quiz.

In what year did the Boston Tea Party take place?
1765
1754
1781
1773
The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773, as a direct protest against the Tea Act and British taxation policies. Colonists boarded ships and dumped tea into Boston Harbor to demonstrate their opposition. This event was a key moment leading up to the American Revolution.
Which group organized the Boston Tea Party under the leadership of Samuel Adams?
Sons of Liberty
First Continental Congress
Minutemen
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams, orchestrated the Boston Tea Party to protest the Tea Act. They were a secret society formed to protect colonial rights. Their actions directly challenged British authority in the colonies.
What commodity was destroyed during the Boston Tea Party?
Tea
Sugar
Tobacco
Silk
Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor as a protest against the Tea Act. Tea was seen as a symbol of British taxation policies. This act of defiance heightened tensions between Britain and the American colonies.
Which British law imposed taxes specifically on tea, leading to colonial unrest?
Townshend Acts
Stamp Act
Sugar Act
Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 granted the British East India Company the right to sell tea to the colonies at reduced rates, but still subjecting it to tax. Colonists saw this as an attempt to make them accept Parliament's right to tax them. Resistance to it culminated in the Boston Tea Party.
Which ships were boarded by colonists during the Boston Tea Party?
Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver
Victory and Defiance
Mayflower and Speedwell
Independence and Liberty
On the night of December 16, 1773, patriots boarded the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver. They broke open the chests of tea and dumped them overboard. These ships were docked in Griffins Wharf.
The participants in the Boston Tea Party disguised themselves as members of which group?
Mohawk Indians
Quakers
Spanish explorers
French soldiers
Colonists disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians to conceal their identities and symbolize their American unity. The costume choice added dramatic effect and protected participants from detection. It became an iconic image of the protest.
The Boston Tea Party helped escalate tensions in which larger conflict?
American Revolutionary War
French and Indian War
War of 1812
American Civil War
The Boston Tea Party was a pivotal event leading up to the American Revolutionary War. It provoked harsh British reprisals known as the Coercive Acts. These actions united colonists in opposition and drive toward independence.
Approximately how many chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor?
500
200
120
342
Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor during the Boston Tea Party. This large quantity represented millions of dollars in todays currency. The act demonstrated the seriousness of colonial resistance.
Which company owned the tea that was destroyed in the Boston Tea Party?
Hudson's Bay Company
South Sea Company
British East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The British East India Company held a monopoly on tea imports and was authorized by the Tea Act to sell directly to the colonies. Colonists saw this as favoritism and protested by destroying the companys tea. The loss severely hurt the companys finances.
Who was the royal governor of Massachusetts during the Boston Tea Party?
Thomas Gage
Thomas Hutchinson
Francis Bernard
William Shirley
Thomas Hutchinson served as lieutenant governor and acting governor of Massachusetts. His enforcement of British policies like the Stamp Act made him unpopular. His refusal to let ships depart triggered the Tea Party.
What was the name of the informal communication network used by colonists to spread news of the Boston Tea Party?
Continental Congress
Stamp Act Congress
Liberty Tree Telegrams
Committees of Correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared information across colonies. This network was essential after the Tea Party.
Which series of laws did Britain enact in response to the Boston Tea Party?
Declaratory Act
Navigation Acts
Coercive Acts
Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts, called the Intolerable Acts by colonists, punished Massachusetts by closing Boston Harbor and revoking local rights. These measures united the colonies in sympathy and opposition. They accelerated the drive toward independence.
Which body of colonial leaders convened for the first time partly in response to the Coercive Acts?
Albany Congress
First Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
Stamp Act Congress
The First Continental Congress met in September 1774 to address colonial grievances after the Coercive Acts. Delegates from twelve colonies gathered in Philadelphia. They coordinated colonial resistance and agreed on a boycott of British goods.
Where in Boston did the tea ships anchor before the Tea Party?
Long Wharf
Griffins Wharf
Old North Wharf
Faneuil Hall Dock
The Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver were held at Griffins Wharf under Governor Hutchinsons orders. Colonists blocked their departure to force the tea to be unloaded and taxed. This location became the site of the protest action.
Which act exempted the East India Companys tea from all colonial duties except the Townshend duty?
Declaratory Act
Tea Act
Stamp Act
Sugar Act
The Tea Act of 1773 allowed the East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, bypassing colonial merchants and retaining only the Townshend duty. Colonists viewed this as tax acceptance without representation. This economic advantage sparked outrage.
Which ship arrived first with tea cargo, igniting tensions before the main event?
Eleanor
Beaver
Tea clasp
Dartmouth
The Dartmouth docked in Boston Harbor on November 28, 1773, carrying the first shipment of taxed tea under the Tea Act. Its arrival led to public protests and town meetings demanding its removal. Subsequent ships followed, escalating the crisis.
What was the approximate monetary value of the tea destroyed in todays dollars?
About $100,000
Over a million dollars
Under $50,000
Around $250,000
Historians estimate the 342 chests of tea destroyed in 1773 would be worth over one million dollars today. This significant economic loss underscored colonial determination. It also demonstrated the financial stakes of political protest.
Which earlier protest in another port city inspired Boston colonists and involved similar dumping of tea?
Charleston Tea Act Riot
New York Tea Party
Philadelphia Tea Riot
Salem Harbor Protest
In New York City, patriots dumped tea in 1774 in a smaller scale protest inspired by Bostons action. Known as the New York Tea Party, it reflected the spread of colonial resistance. Collective actions across ports pressured Britain politically and economically.
How did the imagery of Native American disguise influence colonial symbolism after the Tea Party?
It was adopted in British propaganda
It replaced the Union Jack in all colonies
It was banned by British authorities
It became a symbol of American identity and unity
Disguising as Mohawk Indians became an enduring symbol of American resistance and unity. It suggested a uniquely American identity separate from British culture. Colonists used this imagery in art, propaganda, and later revolutionary events.
Which committee circulated detailed accounts of the Boston Tea Party to other colonies?
Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence
Virginia Revolutionary Committee
New England Tea Committee
Boston Harbor Restoration Committee
The Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence compiled and distributed eyewitness reports of the Tea Party. This facilitated solidarity and coordinated protests across the colonies. It became a blueprint for revolutionary networking.
Which influential pamphlet referenced the Boston Tea Party to advocate for independence?
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania
The American Crisis
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
The Federalist Papers
In Common Sense, Thomas Paine cited colonial protests like the Tea Party to argue that Britains rule was oppressive. His pamphlet galvanized public opinion toward full independence. It sold widely and shaped revolutionary thought.
What was the political significance of the Tea Acts taxation policy in shaping colonial ideological resistance as exemplified by the Boston Tea Party?
It weakened colonial unity by favoring merchants
It ensured cheaper tea lowered tensions temporarily
It underscored the principle of "no taxation without representation," fueling calls for self-governance
It introduced a precedent for colonial loyalty to the Crown
The Tea Acts taxation highlighted colonial demands for political representation in parliamentary decisions. Protesters viewed the act as evidence of unchecked British power, catalyzing united resistance. By targeting the East India Companys monopoly, it revealed economic and political dimensions of injustice. This ideological shift directly influenced the push for independence.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Analyze the motives behind the Boston Tea Party -

    Examine the political and economic factors that drove colonists to dump tea into Boston Harbor as a form of protest.

  2. Identify key figures and groups involved -

    Recognize the roles of individuals like Samuel Adams and organizations such as the Sons of Liberty in orchestrating the event.

  3. Recall the sequence of events on the night of the protest -

    Trace the timeline of actions from the arrival of tea ships to the final dumping of tea into the harbor.

  4. Evaluate the impact on the American Revolution -

    Assess both the immediate reactions from Britain and the long-term effects on colonial unity and revolutionary sentiment.

  5. Connect colonial protest tactics to broader resistance movements -

    Compare the strategies used during the Boston Tea Party to other historic and modern forms of civil disobedience.

  6. Apply insights through engaging trivia questions -

    Demonstrate your understanding by answering interactive Boston Tea Party quiz items and testing your colonial history knowledge.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Taxation without Representation -

    Understanding why colonists resisted the Tea Act of 1773 is key to many boston tea party questions. According to the Library of Congress, colonists argued "no taxation without representation," meaning they rejected taxes imposed by a Parliament in which they had no elected voice. Remember that this principle became a rallying cry across the colonies.

  2. Key Figures and Disguised Patriots -

    Prominent organizers like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere led the covert operation, disguising themselves as Mohawk Indians to protect their identities (Smithsonian Institution). This tactic underscored colonial unity and allowed planners to evade arrest. Keep in mind that "Sons of Liberty" referred to this secret brotherhood.

  3. The Three Tea Ships -

    On the night of December 16, 1773, colonists boarded the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver anchored in Boston Harbor (Massachusetts Historical Society). They dumped 342 chests - about 90,000 pounds - of British tea into the water, representing roughly £10,000 in losses at the time. Visualize three vessels side by side as a way to recall the scope of the protest.

  4. Ripple Effects and British Response -

    In retaliation, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts ("Intolerable Acts"), closing Boston's port and restricting self-government (National Archives). These punitive measures galvanized other colonies, leading to the First Continental Congress in 1774. Recognize how punishment fueled unity rather than submission.

  5. Date Mnemonic: T - E - A = December 16, 1773 -

    Use the mnemonic "T.E.A." to recall Tea (T) in Boston (E for Eighteen-Seventy-Three minus one digit) on December (A is 1+6=7). This trick helps lock in the date: December 16, 1773. Such a simple memory phrase is invaluable for quick recall in any quiz or colonial history quiz.

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