Colonial tea traders objected when the British approved the shipping of thousands of pounds of tea to its North American colonies, including Boston, Charleston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Instead of reforming their tax policies or tolerating the colonists' demands, the British responded to the episode by passing the Coercive Acts, which closed down Boston's port, changed Massachusetts' charter, trying to shut down the colony's legislative body, and sent British troops under General Thomas Gage to dominate Boston.
