The English government was trying to recover from the French and Indian War so they started to tax the Americans to make up for their debt. While the colonies became more independent during the war, after the war the English regained full control. They irritated the colonists, finally pushing them over the edge when they taxed tea. The colonists refused to pay the taxes because they had no representation in parliament. Parliament came up with a scheme to get the patriots to buy the tea. They made tea very cheap. But the patriots would have to pay the taxes. The patriots would have to submit to the parliament. In many places the ships carrying the tea would not be permitted to dock. In Charleston the ships were permitted to dock but the tea was kept in a warehouse. In Boston the arrival of ships made people very mad. The Collector of Customs refused to let the ships leave without payment. That evening a group of men dressed like Indians dumped the tea into the water. Today it is known as the Boston Tea Party. Many colonists applauded this, but the people back in London were angry. Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts which led to, among other things, the closing of the Boston Port. This started the ball rolling for the American Revolution. Today we remember the Boston Tea Party as a memorable historical event where the patriots boldly stated that they would not take no for an answer. As the 2012 presidential campaign moves forward at full force, we have a group of people fighting for what they