Need to brush up a bit on your Boston history? Consider this brief description of the notorious Boston Tea Party.
What It Was
The infamous Boston Tea Party took place in the year 1773 and was one of the sparks that ignited the American Revolution. And what a spark it was! Kaboom! The Party was a political protest engineered by the residents of Boston, Massachusetts against the British government due to King George III’s decision to tax the American colonies as a way to recoup some of the money lost to the war that had just ended. By these proposed taxes British parliament was also hoping to regain control over the colonies as they inched their way towards independent status.
What Triggered It
A series of actions that took place, including the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townsend Acts of 1767 and the Boston Massacre in 1770 incensed the colonists and strained all relations with Britain tremendously. What really angered them the most was the fact that the government wanted to tax the colonies heavily while not allowing them any government representation. This did not go over well with the people whose public outcry was, “No taxation without representation!” One of the loudest voices among them was a man named John Hancock.
The Tea Act
When word reached Britain that the Boston residents were refusing to pay the taxes, the government decided to retract all of the taxes except for one- a duty on tea remained in place. Parliament thought they were being decidedly clever when in May 1773, they passed the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Company a monopoly on importing tea to America. They also reduced the duty that the colonies would be required to pay for the imported tea. They assumed that everything would go smoothly with this arrangement, knowing full well that tea was a very important part of everyday life in the colonies.
They were wrong. The people were not happy with the arrangement at all.
Boycott
John Hancock organized a boycott of tea from China that was sold by the British East India Company. At this point in time the Company was suffering greatly with large debts and huge amounts of tea in their warehouses with no hope in sight of selling it due to the escapades of people such as Hancock. The sale of tea in the colonies had dropped from 320,000 pounds to 520 pounds due to the boycott, and was exerting incredible pressure on the government to make changes. The boycott proved a significant moment in history for American women as it was one of the first times that women as a group had made an effort to influence public policy and opinion in the Colonies.
The Escalation of a Bad Situation
As time passed the situation worsened. Most American ports began turning away the ships carrying tea, forcing them to return to their homeports with full cargoes. But in Boston things were slightly different. The East India Company had the governor backing it one hundred percent, and plans were being made to land the tea under the protection of British armed ships, even if they had to do so using force.
The Night in Question
The tense situation came to a head on the night the tea arrived in Boston Harbor, which was the night of December 16, 1773. On that night a group of approximately 60-70 Boston residents calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, headed by either Samuel Adams or John Hancock, made their way towards Griffin’s Wharf dressed as Indians. Three ships loaded with tea were at the docks when they arrived. The ships were called the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver. With boisterous war chants, the men boarded the ships and went about destroying all of the tea onboard. By 9 P.M. that evening the men, determined in their purpose, had managed to smash 342 crates of tea from all three ships and all of the tea had been thrown into the harbor. Surprisingly enough the entire incident was done with no violence whatsoever. It was very much like a peaceful protest of today. After the tea was all disposed of, the men removed their shoes, swept the decks of all three ships and went about making each ship’s first mate attest to the fact that tea was the only item destroyed on the ships.
The Intolerable Acts
The colonists from Boston and beyond were extremely pleased with what had taken place but the British government was infuriated by the unthinkable actions of the Sons of Liberty. The reaction of the government to this event occurred in March 1774 when it passed the Intolerable Acts. This decision closed the port of Boston and led to the start of the American Revolution.
Did You Know …
"The Boston Tea Party" was the name of a song by Alex Harvey and was no doubt inspired by the true historical event.
The Boston Tea Party was the name of a would-be psychedelic band that in 1968 made a record for the company, Flick Disc, a subsidiary of MGM.
Presently there is a band from the Netherlands that call themselves The Boston Tea Party. All members hail from different parts of Holland. The band has been making music together for the past ten years.