Two hundred and fifty years ago Saturday, an angry mob of American colonists swarmed three ships moored at the docks in Boston, seized 45 tons of tea and tossed it into the harbor.
The popular version of the story tells us the Boston Tea Party was a protest against high taxes, but that wasn't the case at all. In fact, the real problem was that the taxes on tea had been lowered
Seriously.
Great Britain was swimming in debt. The Seven Years' War, which ended in 1763, resulted in Great Britain taking possession of large amounts of territory from France. Taxes throughout the British Commonwealth were high and rising.
All this came to pass just as American colonists were flexing their own muscles. Colonists weren't willing to pay more taxes without seats in Parliament. And the king wasn't willing to consider that.
In the meantime, the East India Company found itself with a surplus of goods and falling prices. The company fell behind in debt payments and was in danger of taking the entire British economy down with it.
The plan was simple: Reduce the much-hated taxes on tea in the colonies, which would increase tea sales and funnel revenue to the East India Company. The lower prices would make it easier for American colonists to stomach a tax, because who cares about a British tax if the final cost is lower?
Parliament didn't count on American colonists rejecting lower tea prices out of principle.
In Philadelphia and New York City, ships carrying the East India Company tea were refused entry. In Charleston, South Carolina, the cargo was confiscated.
In Boston, three ships — the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver — carried the controversial tea put in to port, but local leaders demanded the ships leave immediately. The Customs House, however, refused to let the ships depart until the duty had been paid.
This put the captains of the three colonial-owned cargo vessels in a bind: They couldn't unload their cargo and they couldn't depart with their cargo intact.
Enter a mob of about 5,000 people who gathered at Boston's Old South Meeting House. A group of about 200 men stormed the ships and seized the tea. Some — but not all — of them dressed in American Indian garb.
Frustrated captains, sympathetic to the cause, freely offered assistance as long as their vessels and rigging were undamaged.
Over the course of about three hours, the men unloaded the tea — 45 tons of it, crated in containers weighing about 400 pounds each — punctured the crates with their hatchets so the tea would dissolve and tossed the crates into the harbor. The rest of the crowd cheered them on from the wharf.
The total amount of tea lost was worth an estimated 10,000 British pounds sterling — more than $2.3 million in today's U.S. dollars.
For years, Great Britain had been trying to tighten its control over — and to increase the amount of tax revenue it received from — its American colonies.
Sugar Act:Needing revenue to help pay colonial administrative costs and war debts, Parliament increases duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies.
Currency Act:Prohibits the colonies from issuing their own currency.
Quartering Act: Requires colonists to provide room and board to British troops in the colonies.
Stamp Act: Great Britain's first direct taxes in the colonies affects newspapers, books, broadsides (posters), legal documents, dice and playing cards.
Declaratory Act: Facing stiff resistance from America, Parliament repeals the Stamp Act but then states that they can make laws binding the American colonies “in all cases whatsoever.”
Townshend Acts: Places new taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper and tea.
Nonimportation: In response, the colonies begin an active campaign against using goods imported from Britain.
Circular Letter: Colonial leader Sam Adams writes against the repeated attempts at taxation. When the Massachusetts House of Representatives approves the letter, the British governor dissolves the legislature.
Virginia Resolutions:Virginia's House of Burgesses passes resolutions condemning Britain's actions against Massachusetts. The royal governor of Virginia dissolves that legislature.
Boston Massacre: An American mob surrounds a small group of British soldiers in Boston. The troops open fire, killing three and mortally wounding two more.
Attack On The Gaspee: A mob of colonists attacks a British customs vessel grounded near Providence, Rhode Island.
Tea Act:Parliament reduces the tax on imported British tea.
Coercive Acts: Parliament retaliates by closing the port of Boston, moving court cases to Great Britain and placing election of local officials under the control of the crown. Colonists in New England begin mobilizing for war.
New England Restraining Act: Parliament bans trade between New England colonies and any other country besides Great Britain.
Lexington And Concord: Colonial militia attempt to stop British troops from destroying a colonial ammo depot.
Second Continental Congress:Meets in Philadelphia and names George Washington commander-in-chief of the Continental army.
Bunker Hill: Britain declares martial law and attacks a fortification built by colonial militia.
The U.S. colonies officially declare their independence.
This edition of Further Review was adapted for the web by Zak Curley.
