Boston Tea Party Essay

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party took place not long after the Tea Act was passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773. The Act allowed the British East India Company full control of the trade of tea. However it did not affect the taxation which was previously passed in the Revenue Act in 1767. The Revenue Act taxed the most important items that the colonies bought and traded, which also included lead, glass, paint, and paper. Nonimportation agreements were signed by all of the American Colonies preventing the British from unloading their ships. Due to the boycotts and protests the Revenue Act was repealed on all items, excluding the tea on March 5, 1770. This was done to prevent the East India Company from going bankrupt. This enraged

Charlestown, New York, and Philadelphia rejected their tea, and Boston even refused to recognize their “Patriotic pressure”. British troops had been stationed in Boston since 1968. Sailors and local workers often clashed with these soldiers. Due to demands and taxes the Parliament imposed, tensions and problems increased. The Parliament imposed several Acts on the colonies: Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Revenue Act and the Tea Act. With each Act imposed, the colonists grew more resentful. This resentment resulted in the Boston Massacre and later the Boston Tea Party. British laws and taxes ultimately caused the Boston Tea Party. East India Company selected special consignees (shipment receivers) to market tea in America. Three ships, the Dartmouth, the Beaver, and the Eleanor, arrived in Boston Harbour on December 16, 1773. They docked at Griffin's Wharf. The ships were carrying 342 tea chests. The colonists had boycotted any tea shipped from Britain. The Sons of Liberty enforced a ban on imported goods from Britain with nonimportation agreements. They also attempted to convince the consignees to resign. The consignees refused to resign or give in to the colonists demands. Customs collectors refused to allow the ships to sail away until the tea was on land. Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the ships to pass by the Boston Fort without the collectors permission. Destroying the tea was the only solution to get rid of the tea. The Sons of Liberty boarded the ships dressed as Mohawk Indians. They broke open all the boxes of tea and tossed the tea into the harbor. They destroyed over 92,000 pounds of tea worth at least 11,000-18,000