Timeline of the Passage of the Tea Act
Timeline of the Passage of the Tea Act Report in the April 27, 1773 Morning Chronicle (London). [1] Monday, April 26, 1773: the Tea Scheme is Introduced Amidst ongoing discussions regarding the affairs of the struggling East India Company, Prime Minister Lord North introduced to the House of Commons proposals allowing the EIC to ship some of their enormous surplus of tea duty free to America. He was then challenged by other members of Parliament who observed that the Townshend duty still remained on tea. They argued that that controversial duty posed a stronger obstacle to the legal import of tea to America than the current prices of tea. William Dowdeswell remarked, "I tell the Noble Lord now, if he don't take off the duty they won't take the tea." North refused to admit his political reasons for wishing to retain the Townshend duty, rather focusing on the need to collect a revenue in America for the administration of government. Other members of Parliament counte