The Destruction of the Tea

On December 16, 1773, a group of men made their way to Boston Harbor and onto merchant ships. Once aboard, they gathered up chests of tea and threw them into the harbor. Today, this event is called the Boston Tea Party, but when the events occurred, it was called the "Destruction of the Tea in Boston." Calling it a Tea Party at the time would have trivialized their actions, when in reality their actions sent a very strong message to England.

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At the end of the French and Indian War, the British Parliament needed funds and one untapped resource were the colonies in America, where a large portion of the war had taken place. The colonists, however, found Parliament's actions unacceptable. They saw this increase in their taxes as a violation of their rights, which were guaranteed to them in the English Bill of Rights, because at the time the colonists still viewed themselves as British citizens. The British in England did not view the colonists as equals and it was their superior attitude, and increased taxation for a war that was not caused by the colonists, that sparked the beginning of the American Revolution.

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In particular, the Tea Act rankled the colonists and the Sons of Liberty. The Tea Act did not add to the taxation of the colonies but instead placed the East India Trading Company above all else. The Trading Company was in financial trouble and had 18 million pounds of tea that needed to be sold. The Tea Act required that the tea be sent directly to the colonies where it would be sold for a bargain price. However, the higher taxes on the colonists were still in place and many colonists viewed the Tea Act as a way to buy their favor. In addition, the Tea Act hurt local merchants.

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When the ships arrived with the tea in Boston, the colonists attempted to turn back the ships, but the governor held the ships at port. British law required the ships to be unloaded and a duty paid within 20 days or customs could confiscate the tea. On the night of the 19th day, the Sons of Liberty took action. They disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians, boarded the ships and proceeded to dump more than 300 chests of tea into the harbor.

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In response, the British closed the port of Boston and placed the Coercive Acts on the Colony of Massachusetts. These acts took away many rights from the citizens in order to punish them for their actions against the Tea Act. This sparked even more dissent in the colonies and the First Continental Congress was organized. The British plan to make an example of Massachusetts backfired and the American Revolution quickly followed.

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