The Lasting Legacy of the Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party of 1773 was one of the defining moments of the American Revolutionary War, but how long did it last?
The Duration of the Political Protest
The political protest – often referred to as the Boston Tea Party – was remarkably brief, lasting under three hours on the night of 16 December 1773. The local Sons of Liberty, a group protesting the British Tea Act and its reinforcement of colonialism in the American colonies, boarded the British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor in an act of defiance.
The Aftermath of the Boston Tea Party
Although the protest itself lasted a brief amount of time, the ramifications were massive. The protest was met with widespread recognition and admiration, and symbolically signaled the opposition of American colonists to British rule.
The Sons of Liberty responded with
- The formation of the Continental Association – a document that would become the first written framework of colonial unification.
- The First Continental Congress, which saw delegates from 12 out of 13 colonies come together.
- An instruction from the delegates to form militias, responsible for building up an armed resistance to the British.
The Boston Tea Party resulted in the leading of American Revolutionary War, a conflict which would establish the United States of America as an independent nation separate from British rule.
The lasting legacy of the Boston Tea Party is palpable to this day, reminding us of the revolution and the struggle to establish the United States of America.
