The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was an audacious and revolutionary act. It set the stage for war and cemented certain values in the American psyche. But why did the Tea Party happen? Whom did it involve? What did it mean? Benjamin L. Carp tells the story of the Tea Party--exploding myths, exploring the unique city life of Boston, and setting this extraordinary event in a global context. Bringing to life the diverse array of people and places that the Tea Party brought together--from Chinese tea-pickers to English businessmen, Native American tribes, sugar plantation slaves, and Boston's ladies of leisure--Carp illuminates how a determined group shook the foundations of a mighty empire, and what this has meant for Americans since.