Part 4/9:
By 1773, frustration mounted as King George favored the East India Company, granting them an enormous tax break while squeezing out competition from colonial merchants. This favoritism led to the Boston Tea Party in December of that year, where colonists protested by dumping tea into Boston Harbor. The British response was swift; in March 1774, they enacted the Intolerable Acts, punishing Massachusetts through harsh measures, including the dissolution of its legislature and the appointment of a royal governor. The ports remained shuttered, crippling the economy and igniting further discontent.