In the early 1770s there were some events that caused the relationship between the British government and colonies to deteriorate (grow worse). In Boston in 1770 some British soldiers fired upon an angry anti-British mob, killing five. This event is called "The Boston Massacre". In 1773 the British Parliament granted a legal monopoly to the British company to sell its tea in the colonies. This hurt the business of many colonial tea merchants. When three British Cargo ships filled with tea arrived in Boston harbor in November of 1773, a group of colonists dressed up like Indians, took control of the ships, and dumped all the tea on board the ship into the harbor. This event is called the Boston Tea Party. The British government quickly set out to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party by passing some more harsh laws to control the colonies.