Boston Tea Party Essay

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party took place not long after the Tea Act was passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773. The Act allowed the British East India Company full control of the trade of tea. However it did not affect the taxation which was previously passed in the Revenue Act in 1767. The Revenue Act taxed the most important items that the colonies bought and traded, which also included lead, glass, paint, and paper. Nonimportation agreements were signed by all of the American Colonies preventing the British from unloading their ships. Due to the boycotts and protests the Revenue Act was repealed on all items, excluding the tea on March 5, 1770. This was done to prevent the East India Company from going bankrupt. This enraged

the colonists causing them to boycott the tea, and many of their other products as well. Citizens from all statuses refused to drink the tea, instead they bought black-market varieties from the Dutch. This inspired the famous Boston Tea Party, which went down the night of December 16, 1773. The members of the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded the three ships docked in Boston Harbor. They opened the containers of tea and threw them overboard, which emphasized the irreversible effects. They overall destroyed over 92,000 pounds of tea, worth at least 11,000 to 18,000 euros.
Many ports refused the British tea.

Charlestown, New York, and Philadelphia rejected their tea, and Boston even refused to recognize their “Patriotic pressure”.

British troops had been stationed in Boston since 1968. Sailors and local workers often clashed with these soldiers. Due to demands and taxes the Parliament imposed, tensions and problems increased. The Parliament imposed several Acts on the colonies: Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Revenue Act and the Tea Act. With each Act imposed, the colonists grew more resentful. This resentment resulted in the Boston Massacre and later the Boston Tea Party.

British laws and taxes ultimately caused the Boston Tea Party. East India Company selected special consignees (shipment receivers) to market tea in America. Three ships, the Dartmouth, the Beaver, and the Eleanor, arrived in Boston Harbour on December 16, 1773. They docked at Griffin's Wharf. The ships were carrying 342 tea chests. The colonists had boycotted any tea shipped from Britain. The Sons of Liberty enforced a ban on imported goods from Britain with nonimportation agreements. They also attempted to convince the consignees to resign. The consignees refused to resign or give in to the colonists demands. Customs collectors refused to allow the ships to sail away until the tea was on land. Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the ships to pass by the Boston Fort without the collectors permission. Destroying the tea was the only solution to get rid of the tea. The Sons of Liberty boarded the ships dressed as Mohawk Indians. They broke open all the boxes of tea and tossed the tea into the harbor. They destroyed over 92,000 pounds of tea worth at least 11,000-18,000

euros.
The Seven Year War left the British with a giant war debt. They were trying to force various taxes within the colonies in order to recover this debt. The British thought the Tea Act would not be a problem because the tea cost was the lowest it had ever been. The colonist's position was quite the opposite. The continuous demands of the British infuriated the colonists. The Sons of Liberty were especially angry. The Sons of Liberty took part in protest activities and became more active. Colonists viewed the Tea Act as unconstitutional because they were not represented in Parliament. The Press was sympathetic to the colonists and printed and distributed circulars. Public meetings and demonstrations that opposed British government were set up by political agitators.