What did the Tea Act of 1773 accomplish?

• A. It eliminated taxes on tea.
• B. It allowed direct sale to colonies, bypassing merchants.
• C. It increased maritime duties.
• D. It banned tea trade.

Answer: (B)

The Tea Act was aimed at helping the British East India Company by letting it sell tea directly to colonists, bypassing colonial merchants. By removing the middlemen, the Company could offer tea at a lower price and secure a monopoly on the colonial tea trade. This direct-to-colonist channel was the core effect, not the elimination of taxes, an increase in duties, or a ban on trade. The existing tax on tea under the Townshend Acts remained part of the controversy, so the act’s significance lies in reshaping who could sell tea to the colonies and undercutting local merchants, which helped fuel colonial resistance and events like the Boston Tea Party.