Fight For Independance: The Boston Tea Party

Fight for Independance

Ever wonder what sparked the revolution between Great Britain and colonial America? It all started with small rebellions against early British actions that led to the ultimate separation between the two rivals. Great Britain, one of the strongest nations even till this day, dominated over land and power and never doubted their victory against the colonists. However sooner or later did Britain realize that their invision of a small, weak army transformed into determined colonists willing to give up their lives. Moreover, Britain would have to endure years of war and protest due to the colonist’s desire for equal rights and freedom as citizens. From a proposal that forced colonists to pay taxes to heavy rebellion

amongst two rivals, Britain's fear grew stronger and sooner or later, war broke out. War followed petitions and drafts to a path toward separation and independance. Although colonists lacked in many components of a strong, undefeatable army they had one thing that differentiated them from the British, spirit. Due to the proposal regarding the Stamp Act to the Boston Tea Party, which later aroused the Intolerable Acts, colonial America and Great Britain ultimately separated.

The first act passed by Parliament, the Stamp Act, was the beginning of Britain and America’s disunification. The Stamp Act was a proposal made by the British Parliament to pay off the large debt from the French and Indian war. Prime Minister George Grenville decided that the colonists should pay their fair share by buying a stamp for every piece of paper they used. In other words, it was “an act for granting and applying stamp duties… towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same.” (Document F, British Parliament, March 22, 1165) British citizens already paid their fair share of taxes from pieces of paper to salt but the Americans in contrast were lightly taxed. However due to their lack of contribution, the British Parliament thought it was time to tax the Americans on one of their most necessary resource, paper. Licenses to even playing cards needed to have stamps but what upset the colonists wasn't the fact that they were taxed but the rights they didn't have to vote and represent in Parliament. As a result, the colonists protested in many ways by refusing to buy stamps or sending messages directly to Parliament. Angry mobs of patriots known as the Sons of Liberty, attacked tax collectors’ homes and even started to bury them alive. Although the Stamp Act was repealed, this was just the start of America and Britain's separation.

Throughout the history between Britain and America, one incident still remains in the memory of those who took part and saw, the Boston Tea Party.

In 1773, a new law following the Stamp Act called the Tea Act prompted more protest and action leading to the Boston Tea Party. The idea of the Tea Act was considered by Lord North due to his attempt to rescue the British East India Company. The American boycott badly damaged the successful flow of the amount of tea sold by the company so the British planned to give complete control over tea sales in the colonies to themselves. However the colonists, undeceived, thought this was another attempt to tax them without their consent. On the 16th of December, the Sons of Liberty took action, preventing the process of imported tea and instead dumping them in the sea. Out of the 50 men taking part in this action, George Hewes, one of the many aboard, described what happened on that night. “We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard.” (Document H, Eyewitness Account by a Participant, George Hewes) The British, incapable to proceed with any plan, watched 90,000 pounds of tea dumped into the sea, the plan had worked. However consequences followed triumph, slowly breaking unification between the British and

Americans.

Due to Britain's anger over the Boston Tea Party, Parliament retaliated with consequences that brought the two rivals to the brink of war. After words had spread about the incident regarding the Boston Tea Party, Lord North decided to pass a new series of laws called the Intolerable Acts, meaning unacceptable. The Intolerable Acts consisted of three laws the colonists were required to follow. First to close the Boston Harbor to all shipping to and from until all 90,000 pounds of tea were paid for. Then the British placed the government of Massachusetts, where the cause took place, firmly under British control. Lastly, British soldiers accused of performing a certain crime would be tried in England and more troops were sent to Boston for protection. King George as well as several British leaders expected the colonists to give in but they were wrong. The stubborn colonists refused to give in even a penny for the lost tea and were willing to endure all the consequences for their actions. Other colonists helped Massachusetts by closing their shops to show support or even sending food and money through other forms of transportation to Boston. As a result of strong boycotting of imports from Britain, the Value of British Imports from 1764-1776 reduced the following years. (Document B, Imports from Britain, 1764-1776) Sooner or later delegates from all colonies met to plan a way to boycott goods and form militias by gathering minutemen. Rather than giving in, the colonists got ready for war, only a couple steps closer to winning their freedom and separating from the British.
The Stamp Act, starting the war, led to the Boston Tea Party which brought steps closer to the Intolerable Acts, all contributed to the separation of Britain and America.

The colonists started out as a mob of hopeless individuals but soon cooperated through perils due to their one focus, their independance. Through the first act passed by Parliament, the Stamp Act, the colonists proved the fact that they would go beyond sacrificing their lives for their rights. However some rebellions proved threatening as some patriots attacked, killed, or even buried the tax collectors alive. Things did seem to quiet down after several more acts were passed, repealed year after year, but the war wasn’t even close to an end. In the year of 1773, one of the most memorable incidents in history occurred, the Boston Tea Party. The cause was a way of revealing Britain’s unfair use of tyranny toward the colonists and their way of retaliating with actions almost as cruel as the British. Due to the 90,000 pounds of tea thrown into the sea that night, Parliament passed the last act, the Intolerable Acts. It clearly stated three important factors; to close the Boston Harbor until all tea were paid for, place Massachusetts under British control, and the British soldiers that were to be tried in England. These actions brought the British and America closer and closer to war. Would America be able to win their

independence?