Throughout history, movements that promote change have been driven by the determination of those who call for justice. Explore the stories of persistent leaders who would not be silenced in their social movements, and learn how the collective action of individuals has changed the course of history. The Boston Tea Party By December 1773, American colonists had grown increasingly frustrated. Among their complaints was that the British government had imposed a tea tax on colonists. The colonists objected because it was taxation without representation-that is, they had no say in who was elected to the British Parliament. As tensions grew, plans formed to protest the tax by pouring hundreds of containers of tea into Boston Harbor. One of the first acts of protest in America, the Boston Tea Party helped spark America's fight for independence.