Argumentative Essay: The Boston Tea Party

Imagine, several men dressed as stereotypical Native Americans, dumping what is equivalent to $1,000,000 of stolen tea into the Boston Harbor. This seemingly unrighteous and illegal activity was a reality in the Boston Tea Party, just one of the many unjustified acts performed by the Sons of Liberty, a group responsible for so many violent and illegal activities, they can even be considered a terrorist organization. While many patriots believe that seceding from Britain is the best way for the Colonies’ success because the British have supposedly taxed the Colonies unfairly and exercised too much control over the Colonies, the American Colonies should stay loyal to Britain and pay their taxes at the level Britain requires. In order to prevent

violence in the Colonies and to end the string of violent actions done by the Sons of Liberty, we, the American colonists, believe that the claims of the Patriots and the Sons of Liberty are false, and that the Colonies should remain loyal to Great Britain in order that we might repay them for their protection in the French and Indian War and continue to receive their defense, keep peace in the Colonies and reverse some of the negative effects caused by the Boston Tea Party, and because the events at the Boston Massacre are greatly misunderstood and bias controls much of the information in the Colonies.
For far too long, the Colonies have taken the protection given to them by the British for granted, especially the protection received in the French and Indian War. This war fought with the French over land put the British colonies in grave danger, as the French advanced on British land. The British spent a great deal of money on protecting their Colonies, to preserve their land as well as the people dwelling on it. As a result of this, the British defeated their enemies, thus driving out the French and eliminating a major threat to the Colonies. The British taxing the Colonies is completely justified due to the amount of money and protection that was given to the Colonies. This is very well stated when Thomas Whately says “a war undertaken for their defense only…they should contribute to the Preservation of the Advantages they have received….” (Whately 1). Therefore, the rejection of the taxes enforced by Britain is both illegal and unjustified.
Already, large amounts of violence have erupted in the Colonies after a patriot uprising was began. Even before the war began, radical patriots such as the Sons of Liberty have performed turbulent acts, such as the hanging of mannequins dressed to look like the British tax collectors, the dumping of tea in the Boston Harbor, and the mob of people taunting and attacking the British soldiers at such a level that shots had to be fired into the crowd. Firstly, the hanging of fake tax collectors, and the tar and feathering of actual tax collectors is unacceptable, and the backlash toward the taxes is very excessive. While the patriot John Dickinson once wrote, “[The Townshend Acts claim the authority] to impose duties on these colonies, not for the regulation of trade…but for the single purpose of levying money upon us.”, he is putting the Townshend Acts in bad light by saying they were imposed solely for the purpose of taking the colonists’ money. While, the Townshend Acts were made to make money and to tax the Colonists, as already discussed, the tax is justified due to the protection the colonies received in the French and Indian War from the British. Secondly, the dumping of stolen tea into the harbor is both unjustified, and a poor way to protest a tax. The tax on tea was low, only $0.02 a pound, and most likely was implemented to pay off Britain’s war debt. Also, instead of committing a felony as the patriots chose to, a more peaceful form of protest could have taken place. This may have led to a much more constructive result. However, instead of a peaceful protest, the patriots chose to throw $1,000,000 worth of stolen tea into the, which only forced Britain to tighten the reigns on the Colonies. By performing Boston Tea Party, the patriots frustrated their own cause even more, and by protesting violently, peace will be very difficult to obtain.
Lastly, the Boston Massacre, a misunderstood event that has been changed by propaganda to spread the hatred of the British around the Colonies. The unfortunate deaths of five patriots was undoubtedly caused by the mass of people crowding around the British soldiers. The soldiers were pelted with snow, ice, coal, oyster shells, and even clubs. According to the Boston Massacre Video, one soldier was struck with a club that was thrown from the crowd and fell to the ground (Boston Massacre Video). Meanwhile, the crowd taunted the British, even daring them to fire. With their lives clearly in danger, and chaotic crowd yelling “Fire!”, the soldiers may have felt a need to fire, or the fallen soldier’s gun may have discharged. Either way, the British soldiers were justified in the shooting of the crowd. However, after, Paul Revere drew a picture of the Massacre, showing the British soldiers firing on an innocent crowd, among a number of other propagandic aspects of the image. However, this image is highly biased, and unfortunately many other images or documents about the relationship of Britain and the Colonies are also very tendentious. Even the Declaration of Independence fails to show completely factual evidence. For example, “In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms.” (Jefferson 7). This can be disputed easily when one cites the Boston Tea Party or the tar and feathering of tax collectors. However, this biased information still managed to be written in the document claiming the reasons the Colonies are fighting for independence. Therefore, the Boston Massacre and many other events in the Colonies have been altered, and the information spread around the Colonies is very biased.
Therefore, we, the American colonists, believe that the claims of the patriots and the sons of liberty are false, and believe that the colonists and that the Colonies should remain loyal to Great Britain in order that we might repay them for their protection in the French and Indian War and continue to receive their defense, keep peace in the Colonies and reverse some of the negative effects caused by the Boston Tea Party, and because the events at the Boston Massacre are greatly misunderstood and bias controls much of the information in the Colonies.

The British deserve the taxes we pay for their protection in the French and Indian War, and the rejection of the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act is unjustified. Also, the Boston Tea Party was a poor and illegal way to protest, and should not be viewed as a positive event in the patriot’s fight for freedom. Finally, the information that is causing a patriot uprising in the Colonies is highly biased, and not based completely off of truth. While the patriots may believe that independence is the Colonies’ best option, based on the reasons given, loyalty will ensure economic success with Britain at the helm, grant us protection from the largest army in the world, and keep peace, to avoid fighting a completely one sided war. The question the Colonies must ask themselves: if one puts the brash and impulsive thinking aside and examines the true facts, is a war really worth the time, money, and

lives?