HEL Why was the Boston Tea Party seen as an act of rebellion? It was a protest that included the illegal dumping of a shipment of goods. It was a violent clash that led to the death of colonists at the hands of British troops. It was a series of protests that harmed British trade and led to the repeal of the Stamp Act. It was a sizable cancellation of tea orders to boycott the shipment of British tea into the colonies.