The Boston Tea Party was an American protest against British colonial rule that occurred on the evening of December 16, 1773, in Boston, Massachusetts. It occurred when activists from the Sons of Liberty threw 342 crates of tea imported from China into Boston Harbor. This resulted in the British Parliament passing the Coercive Acts, which shutdown the Port of Boston and put Massachusetts Bay Colony under the direct control of King George III. This was one of the sparks for the American Revolution, which began two years later with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, paving the way for American independence.