In the United States today, coffee is a more popular drink (1)_____ tea, but tea played (2)_____ interesting part in the history of the United States. Before they won their (3)_____ from Britain, the colonists were forced to (4)_____ taxes on many goods imported into America. The tax money was (5)_____ to support colonial governors and officials sent to the colonies by the British. In 1770 the British Prime Minister had repealed most of the taxes, but King George (6)_____ on retaining the tax (7)_____ tea. The King saw the tax as a (8)_____ of the British right to tax the colonies. American merchants (9)_____ smuggled nine-tenths of America"s tea into the country and (10)_____ paying the taxes. (11)_____ the tax savings, the price of tea remained expensive due. to (12)_____ shipping costs. When the British Parliament (13)_____ a new law which would allow British companies to import tea more (14)_____ than American shipping companies, the (15)_____ were alarmed and they (16)_____ a protest. In Boston citizens and merchants, who (17)_____ disguised as Indians, boarded a British ship and (18)_____ $15,000 worth of tea into the harbor. This protest (19)_____ Great Britain is known as the Boston Tea Party. It was one of the earliest acts of (20)_____ against British rule.