Boston Tea Party Participants

The Boston Tea Party, 1773 was a pivotal moment in American history. Tensions were already running high between the American colonies and the British government over taxes and representation. Enter the East India Company, facing financial ruin. The British Parliament, in a move to bail them out, granted the company the right to sell surplus tea directly to the colonies.

Now, the colonists weren't sipping this tea quietly. They saw it as yet another attempt by the British to impose taxes without their consent. Fast forward to December 16, 1773, a group of colonists, disguising themselves as Mohawk Indians to avoid identification, boarded three British ships – the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver – anchored in Boston Harbor. Their objective: to protest the Tea Act.

These individuals, known as the Sons of Liberty, proceeded to dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor, sending a clear message of defiance to British authority. Primary sources, such as George Hewes' detailed accounts, provide a firsthand look at the events of that night. Additionally, the "Tea Destroyed" account published in the Pennsylvania Gazette on January 20, 1774, captures the immediate aftermath.

The Boston Tea Party was no casual affair; it was a calculated act of resistance that fueled the flames of revolution. This event underscored the growing divide between the American colonies and the British crown, laying the groundwork for the larger conflict that would follow.