Hidden Corners of History- The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party

Jarrod E. Stephens

Now and then I find myself strolling along memory lane and I end up in one of my schoolrooms. Whether it be elementary, middle school or high school, there are certain lessons and classes that always stand out. For me, most history classes were my favorite parts of my school days. Within those classes are accounts and stories that impressed me so much that I never forgot them. One such account was The Boston Tea Party in 1773.

At the conclusion of the French and Indian War, the British found themselves in financial distress and no clear solution for resolve on their mainland. The solution lay in the British colonies in America. Each of the original thirteen colonies had its unique economy built on the available resources and climate. Commerce was strong between the colonies and other countries across the Atlantic. Large sums of money were being generated and the idea of taxing the colonies came to fruition.

Taxes were and are part of everyday life but along with the taxes imposed it was perceived that the colonies should also have some representation in the British Parliament. It wasn’t happening. Even today we like to see our tax dollars at work and when we don’t, we get concerned.

The most common taxes that we’ve all heard about were the Stamp Act, Townshend Act and the Tea Act. The Townshend Act taxed many commodities but was repealed in April 1770. The colonists loved their tea, and it was the one item not exempt in the repeal. Boycotts were attempted but they were short-lived. There were a lot of unhappy tea drinkers at that time.

By 1773 the East India Company began struggling financially and had a large quantity of surplus tea. This gave Parliament the opportunity to help the company and collect taxes to help with their debts. The tea that the East India Company brought to colonies would carry no cash duty for the company but would instead be taxed as it entered ports of entry. This placed the tax squarely in the purse of the colonists and it did not rest well with the citizens. Select agents or consignees were chosen to get the tea for resale.

It didn’t take long for the colonists to sniff out the plan and begin placing a lot of pressure on the agents. Boycotts and mobs were common and they began to intensify. The danger of promoting and selling the tea was growing in intensity and many agents began to quit.

One opposition group that sprang up during this period was the Sons of Liberty. The group organized protests and watches to monitor the incoming ships. They would meet secretly at times to discuss their plans and to organize their next steps.

In Boston, the governor was a Loyalist and said that the tea that was in the harbor should be unloaded, and the duty should be honored. On the night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty sprang into action to make their voice heard.

Let the Tea Party begin. Once it was clear that the company would not take the tea from the harbor and that they intended to unload the cargo, a large group of colonists who were disguised as Native Americans boarded the ship and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. As the little Schoolhouse Rock song states, “They turned that harbor into the biggest cup of tea in history.” The message was not well received but it was quite clear. The colonists had reached their boiling point with taxation without representation. The ripple effect of the Boston Tea Party was felt along the eastern shores of the colonies. Ports in New York and Philadelphia refused to let the tea ships in.

The Boston Tea Party was not the end of the problems for the colonies. In fact, it escalated the already hostile situations whenever the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts. This act shut down Boston’s harbor which crippled the city’s economy. British troops were sent to occupy Boston, and the colonial legislative assemblies were shut down.

For many this story may seem like a historical relic that only has its place in the history books, but it is much more than a relic. Our great nation will celebrate 250 years in 2026, and it was the efforts of Patriot groups such as the Sons of Liberty that planted the seeds that would grow into The Land of the Free.