The Boston Tea Party : Response To The Tea Act Of 1773

Actually, there was no violence at all after the Boston Tea Party. As most people that commit a heinous crime leave the scene, the people who participated in the Tea Party also left after they committed the crime. They did not stick around to talk about what they just did, they went to their homes and laid low. One of the members mentioned, “We then quietly retired to our several places of residence, without having any conversation with each other, or taking any measures to discover who were our associates… There appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, and risk the consequence for himself. No disorder took place during that transaction, and it was observed at that time that the stillest night ensued that Boston had enjoyed for many months” (The Aftermath). Not a single person was killed or injured. Not any crew members from any of the ships were injured or killed from this event. “For weeks after the Boston Tea Party, Boston Harbor smelled as a result of over 92,000 pounds of tea dumped into the harbor” (The Aftermath). They dumped so much tea into the harbor, that people were trying to come in and get it off of the top of the water, but the Sons of Liberty would go around in their boats and hit the water to try and make the tea sink. The results and impact of the Tea Party played a big part in leading up to the American Revolution.

Prices were reduced so much that colonial merchants couldn’t compete. Colonists rejected the tea and protested throughout port cities. On December 16, 1773, a group of Boston rebels, disguised as Native Americans, boarded ships and dumped their cargo of tea into the ocean. The Boston Tea Party was one of the most significant events that foreshadowed the American Revolution. In response to the Bostonian rebels Parliament enforced what is known as the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts restricted the rights of the colonist by banning town meetings and restricting gatherings. More troops were called to the colonies and the Boston harbor was closed until damages were paid. As a result, the First Continental Congress was convened. 13 colonies, not including Georgia, sent 55 men to the convention in Philadelphia, in order to address the issues of the Intolerable Acts. Once again, the delegates of the assembly put their issues to paper, including a Declaration of Rights. This also led to the “The Association,” a boycott of all British

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that took place on December 16, 1773 in Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts. The Sons of Liberty led by Samuel Adams, dressed as Mohawk Indians destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent from the East India Company by throwing chests full of tea into the Boston Harbor. George Hewe’s, an eyewitness of the event writes in his journal, “In about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship, while those in the other ships were disposing of the tea in the same way, at the same time.” (Hewes). The Sons of Liberty, a secret group formed by the 13 colonies to protect the rights of the colonists, protested in opposition of the Tea Act implemented on May 10, 1773. The Tea Act was an act placed by the British Parliament in order to raise revenue for Great Britain that required tax on

According to "Report of the Boston Tea Party, Boston Gazette", the pre-Boston Tea Party time was one of great tensions between not only the colonists and the citizens and crown back in Britain, but also with the loyalists who resided in the colonies and wanted to remain loyal to the monarchy. Those who wanted to break away showed extreme loathing towards loyalists and in many cases caused physical and emotional harm to them and loved ones, such as the case of Ann Hulton whose brother was tarred and feathered not just once, but twice, the second time in front of his parents. In a mezzotint attributed to Philip Dawe, the image depicts the Bostonians forcing scalding tea down the throat of John Malcolm, a customs official in retaliation against the taxes imposed by the British government, the liberty tree, and the Boston Tea Party taking place in the background. Officials representing the British Monarchy in any form were loathed and often were the targets of what the British viewed as terrorist attacks but, in the eyes of the colonists, were mere displays of their willingness to retaliate. The outbursts of aggression only served to further divide them and fed the fire that led to war. The colonists explored their own levels of revolution and rebellion against Britain and its followers. The concept of freedom from a king and crown was a new one to

After months of protests Parliament realized their mistake and repealed the tax, but the damage had already been done and the Colonists would start a revolution to separate themselves from the British. On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty, a group of Patriots led by Samuel Adams cut open 340 chests of British East India Company tea, weighing over 92,000 pounds (roughly 46 tons), onboard the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor and then dumped it into Boston Harbor; a total loss of $1,700,000 dollars in today’s money. Weeks after the ordeal the harbor still had the smell of tea. Until the 340 chest of British Eat India Company tea were paid for the British completely closed off Boston Harbor. The Intolerable act which was meant to punish the actions of the Sons of Liberty. This did not help Colonists’ approval of the British government. The harsh punishments unified the American colonists even more against British rule. The effect the Boston Tea Party had was noteworthy and ultimately sparked the American Revolution which started only two years later in Massachusetts on April 19,

The Boston Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773. The sons of liberty boarded 3 ships and dumped tea into the Boston harbor. They did this because of the British oppression. The British said they would have to pay all the tea off or the harbor will be closed.

After nearly a year of protests, the Sons of Liberty were finally victorious in March of 1766 when Parliament decided to repeal the Stamp Act,but later the British put a tax on tea.The controversy over the tea tax was made worse by the passing of the Tea Act of 1773, which allowed for tea sold by British companies to be shipped directly to the colonies and sold at a discount. As the tax on tea was still in place, this act was a subtle way to persuade colonists to comply with the tax.The colonists were not pleased.

When taxed tea was brought to the American Harbor, the Americans made a concrete decision not to allow the tea to be unloaded from the ship. A gathering of colonists masquerading as American Indians got into the ship during the night and poured the tea on board all over destroying it. When one of them tried to keep some of the tea in his pockets, other members stripped him naked and took the drink from him. They also removed the ship owner all his garments and tarred him.

Britain wasn't giving up their hopes, they were still going to try to make the colonists pay the taxes. Since the colonists were still boycotting British tea, the British East India Company ( B.E.I. Company) lost a lot of money. To try to save this company they passed the Tea Act. The Tea Act was a law that allowed the B.E.I Company to sell their tea directly to the colonists. Originally, the B.E.I. Company sold the tea to merchants and from there, merchants sold the tea to the colonists with a higher price. But instead, they bypassed the merchants and directly sold the tea to the colonists, at a lower price. The colonists still didn't buy the cheaper tea because there was still a tax on tea! In order to protest, the colonists had public meetings and vowed to stop the B.E.I. Company from unloading. When the ships arrived in Philadelphia and New York, they forced them to turn back. In Charles Town, when tea arrived, it was seized and stored in a warehouse. But, in Boston, it wasn't as smoothy a process to turn back the ships. When three ships arrived in Boston Harbor, a royal governor whose house had been destroyed by Stamp Act protesters, refused to let the ships turn back. He then ordered them to unload the tea from the ships. In response to this action, the Sons of Liberty organized the Boston Tea party. They also organized the Boston Tea Party because they were mad and angry. When they passed the Tea Act and lowered the tea prices, they thought it was a trick to make the colonists pay the taxes. These actions by the British resulted in protesting, and eventually led to the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was held on December 16, 1773. That night approximately, 50 or 60 men disguised themselves as Native Americans and were armed with hatchets. They then went to the wharf and boarded three ships that contained boxes of tea. Swiftly and quietly, they broke the boxes of tea with their

Each side, one being the Loyalists and the other being the Patriots had irreconcilable differences. After the Boston Massacre, surveillance and tightened security ensued. To preserve the spirits of the colonist and regain hope, members of the Sons of Liberty, including Samuel Adams himself, raided the ships attired as Mohawk Indians, dumped a number of 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbour. Because the king renege on “asserting laws that bind the colonies in whatsoever,” the colonies had a legitimate reason to revolt against Britain. (“Declaratory Act” Document 7)

On the cold night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty dumped about forty-six tons of British tea into the Boston Harbor, destroying the boxes and turning the water brown; however, this was not a violent protest. Many of them did not want any damage to be done to the three ships carrying the tea, the last of which had just arrived that morning. During the entire event, only a few people got injured. Most of the protesters were unharmed and cooperated with each other to protest against the British government, although one man was caught stealing the tea they were supposed to be destroying, and another was knocked unconscious by a falling box of tea. Despite those mistakes, most colonists supported the Boston Tea Party, and it had a great effect on what was yet to come.

In the Boston Tea Party, colonists disguised as Native Americans destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the British East India Company. The colonists boarded the ships, and threw the entire shipment of 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was done, because the colonists protested against the tea act. The colonists objected to the Tea Act because they believed that the act had violated their rights as Englishmen.

The harbor started to smell bad so the british were forced to shut it down. The original location of the BTP doesn’t exist today because of extensive landfills that destroyed it. There are 116 known citizens that took part in the event. Some people were scared of being punished for their participation so they took the secret to the grave. Out of all of the people that were involved, only one person was arrested. He was a member of the Sons of Liberty and his name was Francis Akeley. Also, there was only one casualty during the event. John Crane was knocked unconscious by a falling crate. Afraid he was dead, his friends dragged his body to a nearby wood chipping yard and buried him under some scraps. Other than those, the Sons of Liberty were very careful on how they planned and executed the Boston Tea

The Tea Act of 1773 was a tax on tea but, the British lowered the cost of tea significantly enough that even with the tax, British tea was cheaper than Dutch tea. Also to keep the price down, the British East India Co. got rid of the middleman in the colonies and opened up their own shops. If the colonists bought this tea, they would be accepting the fact that the British could tax without representation. On Dec. 16th 1773 the ships docked at the Boston ports. The Sons of Liberty dressed up as Indians and threw 324 chests of tea into the water. England responded to the Boston Tea Party by the Coercive Act of 1774.

Various colonies made plans to prevent the British East India Company from landing its cargoes. In some ports, shipments of tea were returned or the chosen agents were forced to resign. (USA, 1) In Boston, the chosen agents were relatives of royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson and of course, they would not resign. Hutchinson made preparations to land the tea regardless of the popular feeling. Boston, a leading port city, where many important colonists were merchants, was a focus of colonial resistance to the Tea Act. It was also the home of the radical agitator, Samuel Adams, who staged a spectacular demonstration on the evening of)