Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a significant event in American history for many reasons. On December 16, 1773, over fifty members of the Sons of Liberty, dressed as Native Americans, boarded the three merchant vessels in the Boston Harbor and threw over 300 chests of tea overboard.
The Reasons Behind the Events
The Boston Tea Party was a direct protest against the British Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act that year. This bill allowed the British East India Company to sell tea in the American colonies without paying any of the typical taxes. This was a great threat to American merchants who supplied tea, as the British East India Company’s tea was much cheaper. This led to a boycott of the Indian tea, and was the beginning of the American Revolutionary War.
The colonists were also protesting against what they considered to be an oppressive taxation without representation. They did not believe they had adequate representation in Parliament, and they were not allowed to vote on the taxation that British citizens in Britain were able to. This caused the colonists to feel that their rights as Englishmen were being taken away from them.
The Boston Tea Party also served to unite the colonies against British rule. After the British East India Company refused to return the tea to England, King George III organized a blockade of Boston Harbor. This united all of the colonies, who had previously been divided along regional lines, together to stand up against Britain.
The Impact of the Tea Party
The tea party had an immense impact on the development of the United States. It brought the colonial forces, who had been divided along regional lines, together as one, leading to the eventual Declaration of Independence. In addition, the Boston Tea Party was viewed by many as a symbol of the struggle against tyranny, and helped to inspire the movement to secure independence from Britain.
The long term effects of the Boston Tea Party were also seen in the cost of tea in the colonies. Due to the boycott of British tea, the price of tea in the colonies dropped dramatically and the boycott gave merchants in the American colonies more control over the supply and prices of their own tea.
The Boston Tea Party was a significant event in American history for many reasons. It helped to unite the colonies against Britain, served as a symbol of the struggle against tyranny, and inspired the movement to achieve independence from Britain.
