A tax on imports in 1767, known as the Townshend Duties, was the impetus for boycotts of goods from Britain. The British occupied Boston in 1768 in an effort to counter customs racketeering and seizure of ships. This occupation led to 1770's Boston Massacre. In response, Britain repealed duties on goods with the exception of tea. With the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the colonists and their leaders recognized their fears of Britain limiting their freedoms. Relations reached a fever pitch and Patriot mobs climbed aboard ships carrying tea in the Boston Harbor and dumped it overboard. This caused Britain to close the Port of Boston. As a consequence, Massachusetts was placed under military rule. British troops' attempts to arrest military leaders and confiscate their supplies in Massachusetts led to the initial battles of the Revolutionary War at Concord and Lexington.
