The Boston Tea Party is as symbolic to the USA today as it was when it happened 250 years ago. Many literatures have been written about the Boston Tea Party, albeit with different intentions and academic or political inclinations and perceptions. In addition to the events that took place during the party, there are myriad events that led to or surrounded the events of the Boston Tea Party. In his book Defiance of the Patriots, Benjamin Carp covers the internal or domestic sides and external parties and events that caused and/or influenced the Boston Tea Party.
The British government reacted with force to the Bostonians' drastic protests against the Tea Act, resulting in the Lexington and Concord clashes. The outcome of the clashes was the
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For instance, Boston and Bostonians were distrusted by other radicals in neighboring cities because the Bostonians opposed and revolted against non-importation treaties and legislations. According to Carp, Bostonians did not simply lead the violence against non-importation agreements; they also wanted to boast to other cities such as Philadelphia and New York that they (Bostonians) were of a tougher spirits and more courageous than the other cities. Boston was thus the ringleader of the many cities that constantly violated British trade agreements (Carp, 25, 191). Carp argues that the Boston Tea Party exemplifies the ordinary citizens’ capacity to mobilize one another, become rebellious, and fight for their independence and civil rights (Carp, 223).
The main lesson learnt in Defiance of the Patriots is that, though often portrayed as purely an American event, the Boston Tea Party was greatly influenced by non-American factors as well as non-conventional American stakeholders. In other words, the Boston Tea Party was a globally instigated and propelled event, especially with reference to the role and influence of the British Empire, the East India Company, the tea from China, and the involvement of natives and
The Tea Act was an excellent example of how the British treatment was extremely aggressive. For instance, Britain banned all sale on non-britain tea, which then lead to the colonists getting extremely aggravated. By doing this, the colonists of Boston, Massachusetts rebled by dressings as mohawks, and dumping all tea into the Boston Harbor, which soon would be called, “The Boston Tea Party”.
In 1773 parliament passed the tea act in which the British pay less for tax to ship places. This made the prices of tea lower from Britain. Since Boston's tea would be more expensive nobody would buy it from them. The tea act was just another problem adding up between the colonists and britain. This made the colonists want to be independent from Britain. The colonists decided to rebel and dumb three hundred and forty two chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The act was given the name the Boston Tea Party. Most of the British thought of the Boston Tea Party as an act of terrorism. Really the Boston Tea Party was just another step to independence for the colonists.
Following the Boston Tea Party 2 years earlier, the British formed a blockade of the Boston harbor, destroying the city’s thriving trade-based economy. As a result of this blockade, thousands of colonists were put out of work, and onto the streets, thirsty for revenge. Also, now that Boston was functionally under British occupation, these angry colonists frequently met British soldiers on the street – which never went well – further escalating the tensions between the British and the Americans.
American Tempest: How the Boston Tea Party Sparked A Revolution written by Harlow Giles Unger offers an in-depth analysis of the Boston Tea Party. Unger organizes the events in chronological order starting 30 years before the Boston Tea Party occurred. In the end he touches upon the aftermath of the journey towards self-government. The book presents many engaging details and provides the reader with more of a storytelling feel. He describes the colonists hard times and anger towards being taxed by British Parliament. Unger adds insights and conclusions about various topics and the people surrounding the rebellion, which was one of his goals in his writing. He wanted to tell of the untold Tea Party 's impact on American history politically, socially, and economically. The book was intended for the general public, because he wrote “ironically, few, if any Americans today… know the true and entire story of the Tea Party and the Patriots who staged it” (4).
In the years leading up the Revolutionary War, American colonist grew increasingly resistant to British authority over the colonies. The British passed a series of taxes that sparked controversy of Parliaments authority to pass legislation over the colonies. These events eventually lead to the Boston Tea party, which was a protest of the Tea Act and British rule. The British response to escalating situation in Boston was a show of force placing the city under military rule. These actions untied the Americans colonies under the goal of Independence. The American Revolution was lost by the British due to supply and terrain issues, unclear strategy, and military miscalculations.
The Boston Tea Party happened on the 16th of December in 1773. This was a pre-revolutionary incident that was a direct protest by colonists in Boston against the Tea Tax that was imposed by the British government. Boston Patriots, dressed as Mohawk Indians, and raided three British ships, the Dartmouth, Beaver and Eleanor. The consignees, which was under the pressure of the Patriots, in Charleston, New York, and Philadelphia, they refused to accept the tea shipments,
The Boston Massacre took place after British soldiers were antagonized and became fed up. The soldiers opened fire and in the end eleven men were hit and five of them died. This stoked the flames of fury in the British colonies. One colonist said, “The fatal fifth of March, 1770, can never be forgotten. The horrors of that fateful night are but too deeply impressed on our hearts” (Document 6-2). People could not accept this terrible treatment from Britain any longer. Colonists took the opportunity to protest when news of the Tea Tax spread throughout the colonies. It was seen as “an insidious plot to trick Americans into buying the duties tea” (Roark 142). On the last day to pay the duties for British tea, around 150 men dressed as indigenous people dumped every last ounce of tea into the Boston Harbor. It was a political demonstration that showed the British that their taxes would not be tolerated. The protestors “rowed them [the boats] into those parts of the harbor wherever the tea was visible, and by beating it with oars and paddles, so thoroughly drenched it, as to render its entire destruction inevitable…” (Document 6-3). The goal to make a point was successful, but it came with intense repercussion, which the colonists also rebelled against. In summary, tensions between the British and their colonists were caused by Britain’s unsavory actions, primarily
Though many laws were passed taxing the colonists, America had no say in the British Parliament. Patrick Henry’s speech embodies this argument when he says “We have no representatives in the British Parliament…… The Stamp Act is against the law. We must not obey it” (Doc. 1). This act of defiance caught the colonists’ attention and made them feel that perhaps they could change the laws after all. Another act of defiance against the British was the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was a riot against the British that involved colonists dumping tons of tea from British ships into the sea. Britain then passed a law that said that the Boston Harbor would be closed until the colonists paid for the tea. This angered the colonists even more, and eventually led to the Revolution. As you can see, many rebellious deeds inspired the colonists and helped them confront the British.
The Boston Tea Party has created many myths over the years, the number one being that this act was applauded and celebrated by all the patriots (Raphael). “The morning after the event John Adams wrote to his friend James Warren, ‘The Dye is cast’” (Raphael). Symbolizing that there is no turning back at this point, the future is most probably certain for some sort of conflict between both opposing countries. The Boston Tea Party was not peaceful, but rather an act of vandalism against the British crown. There are parallels and similarities to modern day conflicts and riots as seen in Ferguson, Missouri following the police shooting Michael Brown; This sparked days of civil unrest and rioting in the area and around other cities in America. Another example is ‘Occupy Wall Street’ and the standoff between millennials and the big banks of Manhattan; there the protests brought the city to a
The Boston Tea party of 1773 was the first major act of violence by the colonists which contributed to the American revolution. By this time colonists were rejoicing over Rockingham’s sneaky move of the repeal of Stamp act; ignoring
Because of this, it is easy to see why wealthy and prominent figures such as Thomas Hutchinson – who would later become governor – were so hated by the lower classes. They were the people who would vote in favor of bills that make smuggling goods more costly and difficult. In addition to the distaste for the affluent, Carp also brings attention to the effectiveness of Boston “crowding”. Society in Boston, being tight-quartered and boisterous, gave way to a close town of friends. The Bostonian’s would often band together for such rowdy times as Pope’s Day. This annual celebration of destruction and effigies were often duplicated when the colonist met a rise in price or an unfriendly customs officer. One can only imagine the reaction when the Stamp Act was passed. Merchants, artisans, and the lower class all collaborated to violently oppose this act. Carp views this as the foreshadowing of the tea party and many of the Bostonian’s first brush with opposing Parliament.
American history is full of battles and freedom fighters. From the Boston tea party to voting rights. America fought against a king who was unfair and unjust. They may have had a civil war but it was also for the idea that rights were being taken away. The country has many amazing historical characters that made it the country it is today. This paper will discuss the Boston Tea Party, George Washington’s inaugural address, his warnings upon leaving office as well as the Boston Massacre, the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and John Adams on voting rights.
Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which placed taxes on paper, lead, paint, and tea that was imported to New England. The colonist began to boycott these goods which angered English authorities. They placed military officials so that they could force the colonists to pay the much needed taxes. Tensions between British soldiers and colonists escalated. This lead to the Boston Massacre; it was propagandized and impassioned many settlers to rebel. In response for the unfair taxes on tea, the colonists dumped the imported tea into the harbor. People became much more ardent to their side after the incident. You were either for the revolution; a patriot, or you sided with England; a loyalist.
The 1773 Tea Act did cause the American Revolution in that it sparked huge opposition amongst the colonists. It was the third time that the British had tried to tax the Americans — both the 1765 Stamp Act and the 1767 Townshend Duties had been repealed due to such opposition. The Tea Act was the final straw for many colonists — the Sons of Liberty organised a huge protest in which they boarded the ships carrying the East India Company’s tea, and threw £10,000 worth of tea into the sea in defiance. This was known as the Boston Tea Party and demonstrated to the British that the Americans were not willing to accept British taxation. The slogan ‘no taxation without representation’ was frequently used, showing how the Americans felt the British, in trying to tax them, were attempting to impose a tyrannical rule. The Boston Tea Party provoked outrage in Britain, with many of the politically conscious calling for the Americans to be punished. This then led to the Coercive Acts in 1774, which aimed at isolating Boston — although it only resulted in increasing the tension between the
Because of Britain?s unfair taxes and laws the colonists reacted in several different ways. Some reactions were economic, some were written, some were political and some were even violent. One reaction was to the taxes put on tea. The colonists had the Boston Tea Party in which colonists dressed as Indians and dumped hundreds of crates of tea into the Boston Harbor. (Doc#6) One form of violent protest was tarring and feathering. (Doc#2) It happened to a British customs inspector named John Malcom. He was stripped naked tarred and feathered, and dragged around town by horse drawn cart. (Doc#3) Another form of violent protest was when a stuffed dummy was hung in Boston representing a British tax collector named Andrew Oliver. Later that same night, his house was torn down in minutes by protesters. (Doc#4) A form of boycott was organized by the Sons and Daughters of Liberty. They made a poster saying not to buy anything from William Jackson, that if they did they would bring disgrace to