By the summer of 1773, a new challenge is looming on the colonial horizon. In May, Parliament passes the Tea Act, a bill intended to assist the failing East India Company, raise revenue, and reiterate Parliament's authority over the colonies. As news of the act reaches America in the fall, patriots spring into action. Tea agents are selected in four colonial ports, including Boston, where members of the Sons of Liberty and the committee of correspondence endeavor to force the selected agents to resign. In November, an incoming vessel brings news that ships bearing East India Company tea will soon be arriving in Boston. On the afternoon of 22 November, the committee of correspondence meets at Faneuil Hall with its counterparts from the neighboring towns of Roxbury, Dorchester, Brookline, and Cambridge. Together they draft a circular letter that makes clear their thoughts on Parliament's latest scheme.