Why did colonists protest the tea act?
Yes, you’re right–the East India tea was actually cheaper than the smuggled tea we had been buying from the local smugglers such as John Hancock. That was a big part of the reason the merchants were so irate about it–not only were they facing some unwelcome competition (and a lot of it), but that competition was actually undercutting them. So they helped whip the local population into action about it. The Bostonians were already irritated about British rule because of other things, and it was easy to convince them that paying the tax on that tea would encourage more taxation, and that it was unfair, etc. I don’t think any of them stopped to compare costs before acting.
