The colonists were accustomed to a central government that had limited authority over them "one that would, for the most part, leave them alone. A group of British writers known as the Real Whigs warned people to shield themselves from governmental encroachment on their liberty and their right to private property. Americans argued that they had absolute rights to life, liberty, and property, and the idea that a British house of commons could regulate property grants was "irreconcilable."" The Boston Committee of Correspondence, as the organization was called, vowed, "to state the Rights of the Colonists,"" including unjust "taxation without representation."" This feeling of British oppression became an essential part in the American struggle for independence.
Britain's misfortune continued with the passing of the Townshend Acts of 1767, which placed import duties on tea, paper, glass, and paint. Analogous to the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts were a failure, causing Parliament to repeal the duties except for the tea tax, in order to emphasize of the idea of Parliament's power within the colonies. Additionally, tea was a habitual form of socializing and it was a symbolic character in the colonial way of life, so observing the boycott had a direct effect on all colonists. For these reasons, it was smart and advantageous to keep the tax on tea "more so than any other product. Due to the low income gained from the Townshend Acts, Parliament passed the Tea Act in May of 1773 in yet another attempt to increase revenue. The Tea Act granted the East India Company "which was on the brink of bankruptcy "a monopoly, or sole control of trade, in America. Since the only organization selling tea was the East India Company, middlemen would be avoided, preventing any possible competition over the selling of tea. The net result from this enforcement was lower tea prices than ever before for American hh.