Boston Tea Party - American Revolution - HISTORY.com Google This action, part of a wave of resistance throughout the colonies, had its origin in Parliament’s effort to rescue the financially weakened East India Company so as to continue benefiting from the company’s valuable position in India. The Tea Act (May 10, 1773) adjusted import duties in such a way that the company could undersell even smugglers in the colonies. The company selected consignees in Boston, New York , Charleston, and Philadelphia, and 500,000 pounds of tea were shipped across the Atlantic in September. Did You Know? It took nearly three hours for more than 100 colonists to empty the tea into Boston Harbor. The chests held more than 90,000 lbs. (45 tons) of tea, which would cost nearly $1,000,000 dollars today. Under pressure from Patriot groups, the consignees in Charleston, New York, and Philadelphia refused to accept the tea shipments, but in Boston, the chosen merchants (including two of Governor Thomas Hutchinson’s sons as well as his nephew) refused to concede.

The first tea ship, Dartmouth, reached Boston November 27, and two more arrived shortly thereafter. Meanwhile, several mass meetings were held to demand that the tea be sent back to England with the duty unpaid. Tension mounted as Patriot groups led by Samuel Adams tried to persuade the consignees and then the governor to accept this approach. On December 16, a large meeting at the Old South Church was told of Hutchinson’s final refusal. About midnight, watched by a large crowd, Adams and a small group of Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded the ships and jettisoned the tea. To Parliament, the Boston Tea Party confirmed Massachusetts’s role as the core of resistance to legitimate British rule. The Coercive Acts of 1774 were intended to punish the colony in general and Boston in particular, both for the Tea Party and for the pattern of resistance it exemplified. The Reader’s Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Copyright © 1991 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Tags The Boston Tea Party, 1773 The Boston Tea Party, 1773 Printer Friendly Version >>> Victory in the French and Indian War was costly for the British. At the war's conclusion in 1763, King George III and his government looked to taxing the American colonies as a way of recouping their war costs. They were also looking for ways to reestablish control over the colonial governments that had become increasingly independent while the Crown was distracted by the war. Royal ineptitude compounded the problem. A series of actions including the Stamp Act (1765), the Townsend Acts (1767) and the Boston Massacre (1770) agitated the colonists, straining relations with the mother country. But it was the Crown's attempt to tax tea that spurred the colonists to action and laid the groundwork for the American Revolution. Colonialists attack, tar and feather a hapless tax collector The colonies refused to pay the levies required by the Townsend Acts claiming they had no obligation to pay taxes imposed by a Parliament in which they had no representation.

In response, Parliament retracted the taxes with the exception of a duty on tea - a demonstration of Parliament's ability and right to tax the colonies. In May of 1773 Parliament concocted a clever plan. They gave the struggling East India Company a monopoly on the importation of tea to America. Additionally, Parliament reduced the duty the colonies would have to pay for the imported tea. The Americans would now get their tea at a cheaper price than ever before. However, if the colonies paid the duty tax on the imported tea they would be acknowledging Parliament's right to tax them. Tea was a staple of colonial life - it was assumed that the colonists would rather pay the tax than deny themselves the pleasure of a cup of tea. The colonists were not fooled by Parliament's ploy. When the East India Company sent shipments of tea to Philadelphia and New York the ships were not allowed to land. In Charleston the tea-laden ships were permitted to dock but their cargo was consigned to a warehouse where it remained for three years until it was sold by patriots in order to help finance the revolution. In Boston, the arrival of three tea ships ignited a furious reaction.

The crisis came to a head on December 16, 1773 when as many as 7,000 agitated locals milled about the wharf where the ships were docked. A mass meeting at the Old South Meeting House that morning resolved that the tea ships should leave the harbor without payment of any duty. A committee was selected to take this message to the Customs House to force release of the ships out of the harbor. The Collector of Customs refused to allow the ships to leave without payment of the duty. Stalemate. The committee reported back to the mass meeting and a howl erupted from the meeting hall. It was now early evening and a group of about 200 men, some disguised as Indians, assembled on a near-by hill. Whopping war chants, the crowd marched two-by-two to the wharf, descended upon the three ships and dumped their offending cargos of tea into the harbor waters. Most colonists applauded the action while the reaction in London was swift and vehement. In March 1774 Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts which among other measures closed the Port of Boston. The fuse that led directly to the explosion of American independence was lit.

ADVERTISMENT Take your tea and shove it. George Hewes was a member of the band of "Indians" that boarded the tea ships that evening. His recollection of the event was published some years later. We join his story as the group makes its way to the tea-laden ships: "It was now evening, and I immediately dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, which I and my associates denominated the tomahawk, with which, and a club, after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea. When I first appeared in the street after being thus disguised, I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped and painted as I was, and who fell in with me and marched in order to the place of our destination. The Boston Tea Party When we arrived at the wharf, there were three of our number who assumed an authority to direct our operations, to which we readily submitted. They divided us into three parties, for the purpose of boarding the three ships which contained the tea at the same time.

The name of him who commanded the division to which I was assigned was Leonard Pitt. The names of the other commanders I never knew. We were immediately ordered by the respective commanders to board all the ships at the same time, which we promptly obeyed. The commander of the division to which I belonged, as soon as we were on board the ship, appointed me boatswain, and ordered me to go to the captain and demand of him the keys to the hatches and a dozen candles. I made the demand accordingly, and the captain promptly replied, and delivered the articles; but requested me at the same time to do no damage to the ship or rigging. We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard, and we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water. In about three hours from the time we went on board, we had thus broken and thrown overboard every tea chest to be found in the ship, while those in the other ships were disposing of the tea in the same way, at the same time.

We were surrounded by British armed ships, but no attempt was made to resist us. ...The next morning, after we had cleared the ships of the tea, it was discovered that very considerable quantities of it were floating upon the surface of the water; and to prevent the possibility of any of its being saved for use, a number of small boats were manned by sailors and citizens, who rowed them into those parts of the harbor wherever the tea was visible, and by beating it with oars and paddles so thoroughly drenched it as to render its entire destruction inevitable." References: Hawkes, James A, Retrospect of the Boston Tea-Party, with a Memoir of George R. T. Hewes... (1834) reprinted in Commager, Henry Steele, Morris Richard B., The Spirit of 'Seventy-Six vol I (1958); Labaree, Benjamin Woods, The Boston Tea Party (1964). How To Cite This Article: "The Boston Tea Party, 1773," EyeWitness to History, (2002). Tea was introduced into England from China in 1657.

Boston Tea Party Facts | Boston History Boston Tea Party Facts The Boston Tea Party-Destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor. 1773. New York Public Library. Who organized the Boston Tea Party? The Sons of Liberty. The Boston Tea Party was organized and carried out by a group of Patriots led by Samuel Adams known as the Sons of Liberty. The Sons of Liberty were made up of males from all walks of colonial society, and among its membership were artisans, craftsmen, business owners, tradesmen, apprentices, and common laborers who organized to defend their rights, and to protest and undermine British rule. Famous Boston Patriots who were members of the Sons of Liberty included John Adams, John Hancock, James Otis, Josiah Quincy, Paul Revere, and Dr. Joseph Warren. Incited by the Sons of Liberty, over 5,000 people gathered at the Old South Meeting House, the largest public building in Boston at the time, at 10:00 AM on December 16, 1773, to decide what was to be done about the tea and to plan the Boston Tea Party. What caused the Boston Tea Party?

Many factors including “taxation without representation,” the 1767 Townshend Revenue Act, and the 1773 Tea Act. In simplest terms, the Boston Tea Party happened as a result of “taxation without representation”, yet the cause is more complex than that. The American colonists believed Britain was unfairly taxing them to pay for expenses incurred during the French and Indian War. Additionally, colonists believed Parliament did not have the right to tax them because the American colonies were not represented in Parliament. Since the beginning of the 18th century, tea had been regularly imported to the American colonies. By the time of the Boston Tea Party, it has been estimated American colonists drank approximately 1.2 million pounds of tea each year. Britain realized it could make even more money off of the lucrative tea trade by imposing taxes onto the American colonies. In effect, the cost of British tea became high, and, in response, American colonists began a very lucrative industry of smuggling tea from the Dutch and other European markets. These smuggling operations violated the Navigation Acts which had been in place since the middle of the 17th century. The smuggling of tea was undercutting the lucrative British tea trade.

In response to the smuggling, in 1767 Parliament passed the Indemnity Act, which repealed the tax on tea and made British tea the same price as the Dutch. The Indemnity Act greatly cut down on American tea smuggling, but later in 1767 a new tax on tea was put in place by the Townshend Revenue Act. The act also taxed glass, lead, oil, paint, and paper. Due to boycotts and protests, the Townshend Revenue Act taxes on all commodities except tea were repealed in 1770. In 1773, the Tea Act was passed and granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. The smuggling of tea grew rampant and was a lucrative business venture for American colonists, such as John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The Townshend Revenue Act tea tax remained in place despite proposals to have it waived. American colonists were outraged over the tea tax. They believed the Tea Act was a tactic to gain colonial support for the tax already enforced. The direct sale of tea by agents of the British East India Company to the American colonies undercut the business of colonial merchants.

The smuggled tea became more expensive than the British East India Company tea. Smugglers like John Hancock and Samuel Adams were trying to protect their economic interests by opposing the Tea Act, and Samuel Adams sold the opposition of British tea to the Patriots on the pretext of the abolishment of human rights by being taxed without representation. When did the Boston Tea Party happen? December 16, 1773. The Boston Tea Party took place on the winter night of Thursday, December 16, 1773. According to eyewitness testimonies, the Boston Tea Party occurred between the hours of 7:00 and 10:00 PM and lasted for approximately three hours. Where did the Boston Tea Party happen? Griffin’s Wharf. The Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor were moored at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston. It is at this location where the December 16, 1773 destruction of the tea occurred. The original location of the Boston Tea Party no longer exists because of extensive landfills that destroyed the location. This was caused by the city of Boston’s rapid expansion in the 19th century.

In 18th century Boston, Griffin’s Wharf was a bustling center for maritime commerce and shipping. The exact location of the original Griffin’s Wharf is open to debate, but the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, located on the Congress Street Bridge, is located near the approximate area where the Boston Tea Party took place. A historical marker commemorating the Boston Tea Party stands on the corner of Congress and Purchase streets. How many people participated in the Boston Tea Party? Hundreds. It is estimated that hundreds took part in the Boston Tea Party. For fear of punishment, many participants of the Boston Tea Party remained anonymous for many years after the event. To date it is known that 116 people are documented to have participated. Not all of the participants of the Boston Tea Party are known; many carried the secret of their participation to their graves. The participants were made up of males from all walks of colonial society. Many were from Boston or the surrounding area, but some participants are documented to have come from as far away as Worcester in central Massachusetts and Maine. The vast majority was of English descent, but men of Irish, Scottish, French, Portuguese, and African ancestry were documented to have also participated.

The participants were off all ages, but the majority of the documented participants was under the age of forty. Sixteen participants were teenagers, and only nine men were above the age of forty. Many of the Boston Tea Party participants fled Boston immediately after the destruction of the tea to avoid arrest. Thousands witnessed the event, and the implication and impact of this action were enormous ultimately leading to the start of the American Revolution. How did the Sons of Liberty disguise themselves at the Boston Tea Party? American Indians. In an effort to hide their true identities, many of the Sons of Liberty attempted to pass themselves off as Mohawk Indians because if caught for their actions they would have faced severe punishment. Reports from the time describe the participants as dressed as Mohawks or Narragansett Indians. The disguise was mostly symbolic in nature; they knew they would be recognized as non-Indians. The act of wearing “Indian dress” was to express to the world that the American colonists identified themselves as “Americans” and no longer considered themselves British subjects.

They were not dressed as Indians in the classic sense with headdresses and full authentic regalia; rather they wore wool blankets matchcoat style, painted their faces with soot, and employed other modes of dress commonly known at the time as “Indian dress”, which had been adopted by soldiers during the French and Indian War.

An observer of the Boston Tea Party, John Andrews wrote the following in 1773: “They say the actors were Indians… Whether they were or not to a transient observer they appear’d as such, being cloth’d in blankets with the heads muffled and copper color’d countenances, each being arm’d with a hatchet or ax, and pair pistols, nor was their dialect different from what I conceive these geniusses to speak, as their jargon was unintelligible to all but themselves.” Boston Tea Party participant George Hewes recorded the following: “It was now evening, and I immediately dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, which I and my associates denominated the tomahawk, with which, and a club, after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin’s wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea. When I first appeared in the street after being thus disguised, I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped and painted as I was, and who fell in with me and marched in order to the place of our destination.” How many ships were involved? Three.

On the night of the Boston Tea Party, three ships that had sailed from London carrying cargoes of British East India Company tea were moored in Boston Harbor. The three ships were the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor. The Dartmouth arrived in Boston on November 28, 1773, the Eleanor on December 2, and the Beaver on December 15. Each of the three ships carried more than one hundred chests of British East India Company tea. The Sons of Liberty on the night of December 16, 1773, offloaded the tea cargoes of all three ships. There were to be four ships sailing from London carrying cargoes of British East India Company tea to Boston, but the William ran aground off Cape Cod on December 10, 1773 in a violent storm. The cargo of 58 chests of British East India Company tea was salvaged before the William was abandoned. A portion of the salvaged tea cargo ended up in Boston and was later destroyed by the Sons of Liberty.

Samuel Adams recorded the following about the fate of the William: “The only remaining vessel which was expected with this detested article, is by the act of righteous heaven cast on shore on the back of Cape Cod, which has often been the sad fate of many a more valuable cargo.” If you would like more information about each of the ships, visit these links to dedicated pages: Were the ships British? No. A popular misconception is the belief the Tea Party Ships were British. In fact, the vessels were built in America and owned by Americans, but the cargo of tea they were carrying from London to Boston was owned by the British East India Company. The Beaver and Dartmouth were built and owned by the Rotch’s, an affluent Nantucket Quaker family. The Eleanor was one of several vessels owned by leading Boston merchant, John Rowe. Where did the tea come from? China. Contrary to popular belief, the British East India Company tea the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor transported to Boston was not from India. The tea the Sons of Liberty dumped into Boston Harbor was in fact from China. In addition to India, the British East India Company had extensive dealings in China because of the lucrative opium trade.

The tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party was described as “Bohea” type. In the 18th century tea trade, black tea was referred to as “Bohea.” Traditionally, the Bohea variety of black tea came from the Wuyi Mountains in the Chinese province of Fujian, but the term “Bohea” was hijacked by the tea trade to refer to all black tea varieties. The black teas (“Bohea”) the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor transported were of the Bohea, Congou, and Souchong varieties. Additionally, they also transported Hyson and Singlo teas, which were both green teas from the Chinese province of Anhui. The shipment of British East India Company tea the three ships delivered to Boston consisted of 240 chests of Bohea, 60 chests of Singlo, 15 chests of Congou, 15 chests of Hyson, and 10 chests of Souchong. We know Patriots were loyal to the American colonies, but what were people who remained loyal to Britain called? Tories, Loyalists, Royalists, or King’s men.

The terms Tory, Loyalist, Royalist, or King’s men were used by Patriots to label those who remained loyal to the mother country Britain. The word Tory comes from several Middle Irish words meaning robbers, outlaws or pursued men. Prior to the American Revolution, the term Tory evolved into describing those who upheld the right of the King over Parliament, and during the Revolution took on the form to describe anyone who remained loyal to Britain. The most famous Boston Tories and targets of the Sons of Liberty were public official Andrew Oliver and Lieutenant Governor and Chief Justice of Massachusetts Thomas Hutchinson. During the American Revolution, it is documented that over twenty thousand Tories took up arms and fought with the British Army against the Patriots. They were branded traitors for remaining loyal to their king and fighting for what they believed in. When American independence was achieved at the close of the American Revolution, many Tories either fled or were kicked out of the newly formed United States and relocated primarily to Britain, Canada, the Bahamas, and Africa where they founded Sierra Leone. During the American Revolution it is estimated one-third of the population of the Thirteen Colonies were Tories, one-third were Patriots, and one-third remained neutral. What damage did the Boston Tea Party cause?

£9,659 worth of damage in 1773 currency. 340 chests of British East India Company tea, weighing over 92,000 pounds (roughly 46 tons), onboard the Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor were smashed open with axes and dumped into Boston Harbor the night of December 16, 1773. The damage the Sons of Liberty caused by destroying 340 chests of tea, in today’s money, was worth more than $1,700,000 dollars. The British East India Company reported £9,659 worth of damage caused by the Boston Tea Party. According to some modern estimates, the destroyed tea could have brewed 18,523,000 cups of tea! The destruction of the tea was a very costly blow to the British. Besides the destruction of the tea, historical accounts record no damage was done to any of the three ships, the crew or any other items onboard the ships except for one broken padlock. The padlock was the personal property of one of the ships’ captains and was promptly replaced the next day by the Patriots.

Great care was taken by the Sons of Liberty to avoid the destruction of personal property – save for the cargo of British East India Company tea. Nothing was stolen or looted from the ships, not even the tea. One participant tried to steal some tea but was reprimanded and stopped. The Sons of Liberty were very careful about how the action was carried out and made sure nothing besides the tea was damaged. After the destruction of the tea, the participants swept the decks of the ships clean, and anything that was moved was put back in its proper place. The crews of the ships attested to the fact there had been no damage to any of the ships except for the destruction of their cargoes of tea. Did anyone die during the Boston Tea Party? No. No one died during the Boston Tea Party. There was no violence and no confrontation between the Patriots, the Tories and the British soldiers garrisoned in Boston. No members of the crews of the Beaver, Dartmouth, or Eleanor were harmed. This was the first organized act of rebellion against British rule, and the Sons of Liberty were very careful about how the Boston Tea Party was planned and executed.

In fact, only one member of the Sons of Liberty, Francis Akeley, was caught and imprisoned for his participation. He was the only person ever to be arrested for the Boston Tea Party. What happened after the Tea Party? Boston Harbor was shut down. For weeks after the Boston Tea Party, the 92,000 pounds of tea dumped into the harbor caused it to smell. As a result of the Boston Tea Party, the British shut down Boston Harbor until all of the 340 chests of British East India Company tea were paid for. This was implemented under the 1774 Intolerable Acts and known as the Boston Port Act. The Intolerable Acts outraged and unified the American colonists even more against British rule. In addition to the Boston Port Act, the Intolerable Acts also implemented the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. American colonists responded with protests and coordinated resistance by convening the First Continental Congress in September and October of 1774 to petition Britain to repeal the Intolerable Acts. The Boston Tea Party was the first significant act of defiance by American colonists.

The implication and impact of the Boston Tea Party was enormous ultimately leading to the sparking of the American Revolution which began in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. Who condemned the Boston Tea Party? George Washington While he was in absolute favor of the revolution, George Washington did not approve of the destruction of the tea. It was against his beliefs about property ownership. When did the Boston Tea Party get its name? It wasn’t actually called The Boston Tea Party until much, much later. The Boston Tea Party name did not come about until the early 1820’s. Before that, the event was deemed a much less creative name, “the destruction of the tea.” Was there a second Boston Tea Party? There was a second Boston Tea Party three months later. In March of 1774, 60 men disguised themselves and boarded the Fortune to threw 30 chests of tea overboard. Being a much smaller protest, it did not get the attention of the original. How many people were injured in the event? There was only one person injured in the event (and they mistakenly thought he was dead). John Crane was thought to be dead when he was knocked unconscious during the Boston Tea Party.

His fellow patriots hid him under a pile of wood shavings in a nearby shop. He regained consciousness a few hours later and was the only person injured during the protest. Who offered to pay for the tea that was dumped? Benjamin Franklin offered to pay for the tea that was dumped. Ben Franklin was a rich and generous man and as such, he offered to pay for the tea on the condition that Britain would reopen the harbor. They refused, so they were never compensated. Were the participants ever punished? The participants were never punished. There was a strict code of secrecy surrounding the events of the Boston Tea Party and as a result, no one ever identified who the participants were. One person was named in an anonymous tip, and he was stripped, tarred and feathered. After and since, no one else ever came forward with any information. How much did the protest cost? It was an expensive protest. If measured in today’s financial terms, the value of the more than 92,000 pounds of tea dumped into the Boston Harbor would be around $1 million. Where is the actual location of the Boston Tea Party now? The location of the protest is now a busy street corner.

The actual location of the Boston Tea Party is thought to be at the corner of Congress and Purchase Streets—once under water, it is now a busy intersection. Old South Meeting House SAVE when you buy tickets to one of the nation's most important colonial landmarks! Learn More Abigail’s Tea Room Afternoon Tea Anyone? Enjoy the Boston Tea Room with Great Harbor Views. Learn More Huzzah! Tavern Nights Join John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adams in a night of spirited merry making! Learn More Our Tweets The Boston Tea Party - Dec 16, 1773 - HISTORY.com The Boston Tea Party Publisher A+E Networks In Boston Harbor, a group of Massachusetts colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians board three British tea ships and dump 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The midnight raid, popularly known as the “Boston Tea Party,” was in protest of the British Parliament’s Tea Act of 1773, a bill designed to save the faltering East India Company by greatly lowering its tea tax and granting it a virtual monopoly on the American tea trade.

The low tax allowed the East India Company to undercut even tea smuggled into America by Dutch traders, and many colonists viewed the act as another example of taxation tyranny. When three tea ships, the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver, arrived in Boston Harbor, the colonists demanded that the tea be returned to England. After Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused, Patriot leader Samuel Adams organized the “tea party” with about 60 members of the Sons of Liberty, his underground resistance group. The British tea dumped in Boston Harbor on the night of December 16 was valued at some $18,000. Parliament, outraged by the blatant destruction of British property, enacted the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, in 1774. The Coercive Acts closed Boston to merchant shipping, established formal British military rule in Massachusetts, made British officials immune to criminal prosecution in America, and required colonists to quarter British troops. The colonists subsequently called the first Continental Congress to consider a united American resistance to the British. Related Videos The Boston Tea Party: Why Did It Occur and Who Was Involved? The Boston Tea Party: Why Did It Occur and Who Was Involved?

by Pamela Kline and Paul Pavao Why did the Boston Tea Party Occur? Who was involved? We cover these facts and more on this page on one of the most momentous events of the American Revolution. The broadside below was posted all over Boston on November 29, 1773, shortly after the arrival of three ships carrying tea owned by the East India Company. This is the original handbill that was passed out to organize the Boston Tea Party. It reads ... Brethren, and Fellow Citizens! You may depend, that those odious Miscreants and detestable Tools to Ministry and Governor, the TEA CONSIGNEES, (those traitors to their Country, Butchers, who have done, and are doing every Thing to Murder and destroy all that shall stand in the Way of their private Interest,) are determined to come and reside again in the Town of Boston. I therefore give you this early Notice, that you may hold yourselves in Readiness, on the shortest Notice, to give them such a Reception, as such vile Ingrates deserve. JOYCE, jun.

(Chairman of the Committee for Tarring and Feathering.) If any Person should be so hardy as to Tear this down, they may expect my severest Resentment. J. jun. Why Did the Boston Tea Party Occur? The beginning of the the Boston Tea Party is often sourced to what the Colonists felt was an unfair tax on tea. This is only partly true. The Tea Party was a protest in reaction to a tax meant to help raise funds following the French and Indian War. But the tax was also a political power move on behalf of Parliament, meant to reassert control over the colonies, as well as an economic decision designed to bail out the floundering East India Company, a threshold of English commercial interests. Background After the long and costly war between France and England, King George III and the British Parliament implemented a tax to help raise money to pay off the massive debts incurred. They chose to place this tax on tea sold in both England and in the English Colonies. They were convinced that people would rather pay a tax than give up their daily tea. It was also an item that the colonies were required to import only from England.

Furthermore, the tax was a way to reign in the colonies, who had been neglected during the long war, and remind them that their allegiance belonged to England. This Sugar Act was passed in 1764 imposing customs duties on several different items, including tea. Prime Minister Grenville wanted to raise the revenue by putting a direct tax on the colonists instead of at the ports, so he delayed to give the colonists a chance to find a way to raise funds themselves. They didn't. The following year, the Stamp Act was passed. All official documents and papers were required to have an official stamp. The cost of this stamp went directly to the crown. The colonists were outraged. They complained bitterly that because of their distance from England, they were receiving inadequate representation in Parliament. They had not agreed to have these new taxes placed on their colonies. The Stamp Act was eventually repealed, but not before the Sons of Liberty had formed and begun to perform public demonstrations and boycott, sometimes with violence and looting. The Colonists were frustrated by the number of taxes Parliament kept trying to place on them without their consent.

In 1767, the Townshend Acts rocked the colonies when they replaced the Stamp Act with an import duty on all kinds of essential goods. Parliament mistakenly thought the colonies objected to only internal taxes or purchases like the objects described in the Stamp Act, and that import taxes wouldn't be a problem. Parliament then offered a monopoly on tea importation to the colonies to the East India Company , who in turn raised their price on tea. The tea sold in the colonies wouldn't have a tax any more, instead it would be taxed at each individual port, and agents were appointed to receive and sell the tea and pay the tax. This was the Tea Act, passed by the British parliament on May 10, 1773. This was an attempt by the British government to prop up the failing Dutch East India Company. It reduced taxes and removed all duties on the exportation of East India Company tea. However, even when the tea tax was lowered with the Indemnity Act, the colonists protested, not because of the price, but on the principle that they were not required to pay taxes placed on them without their consent.

It's often overlooked that the people in England were under the same laws and taxes and were smuggling tea, even more than the American Colonies were. The thing that upset the colonists the most was they felt they were unrepresented, unheard, and exploited by an "evil" Parliament. When the taxes weren't removed, some of the colonists made a small fortune on smuggled tea, including John Hancock . When the smuggling didn't stop and neither did the violence caused by the Sons of Liberty, British troops were deployed to Boston. Their presence was unwelcome and only added to the hostility the colonists were feeling against the crown. The hostility rose until it came to a head with the inaccurately named Boston Massacre when five people died. This was used as propaganda in the newspapers, fostering the unrest and increasing the tension. The colonists were convinced that these Acts were an attempt to undermine colonial businesses. Nor were they in a compromising mood. They were angry over the Boston Massacre. Most of them stopped drinking tea altogether because while the Townshend Acts had been rescinded earlier in the year, its duties on tea were still in force. Britain dropped the price of tea until the smuggled tea was actually more expensive than the regular tea.

Those who were making a profit on smuggled tea continued to do so, but now it became less about saving money, and more in the name of protest for the colonists' rights to "taxation without representation." In New York and Philadelphia, the colonists refused to let the boats land, and they returned to England. In Charleston, protests were so rampant that customs officials were able to seize all the tea. In 1772, the Indemnity Act dropping the price on tea expired, and left the Townshend tax on tea. Consumers faltered at the sudden jump in the price of tea, but the East India Company continued to import it. Even though the company was failing, Parliament refused to back down regarding their right to tax the colonies. Furthermore, this tax paid the salaries of Parliament-appointed government officials, and they were loathe to allow those officials to be reliant on the colonists for their salaries, for fear it would drive them to be more supportive of their cause. The Tea Party The biggest shipment arrived in Griffin's wharf, in Boston on or just before November 29, 1773.

The royal governor Thomas Hutchinson had no intention of letting the colonists force the ships to return to England, and due to the Boycott, the dockworkers refused to unload the ship. He held the ships in port, demanding that the cargo be unloaded and customs duties paid. But the colonists, already stirred to action, were unwilling to bear the stalemate. On December 16, "there was a meeting of the citizens of the county of Suffolk, convened at one of the churches in Boston, for the purpose of consulting on what measures might be considered expedient to prevent the landing of the tea, or secure the people from the collection of the duty. At that meeting a committee was appointed to wait on Governor Hutchinson, and request him to inform them whether he would take any measures to satisfy the people on the object of the meeting." 1 The Governor promised an answer by 5 pm, but when the appointed time came, the committee met at the Governor's house, and he was missing."Let every man do his duty, and be true to his country," 2 cried the members and dissolved the meeting.

Boston Tea Party picture by Sarony and Major, 1846 | Public domain image The Events of the Boston Tea Party That night, over 100 men including the Sons of Liberty dressed in "Indian" garb, or rather, the poncho and soot streaks soldiers wore during the French and Indian War. They armed themselves with hatchets, axes, and pistols, and sneaked aboard the ships. Accounts actually vary from 30 to 130. Bostonteapartyship.com maintains a list of 116 names culled from various historical reports. An observer of the Boston Tea Party, John Andrews wrote the following in 1773: textbox>"They say the actors were Indians... Whether they were or not to a transient observer they appear'd as such, being cloth'd in blankets with the heads muffled and copper color'd countenances, each being arm'd with a hatchet or ax, and pair pistols, nor was their dialect different from what I conceive these geniusses to speak, as their jargon was unintelligible to all but themselves." 3 Three ships with their cargo of precious teas lay in Boston harbor, their captains unaware of the colonists' approach.

The clothing was both to keep their identities hidden (because they were committing a treasonous crime) and symbolic: to show England that they were beginning to identify themselves as Americans, not British subjects. On reaching the pier, they divided into three groups and several men took charge. No one knew the names of their co-conspirators, nor did they know the names of the other commanders besides their own. They boarded the ships and demanded the keys to the hatch from the captains. The men were under strict orders to cause no harm to anyone and to carry out the rebellious act in an oxymoronic orderly fashion. Soon the chopping of boxes could be heard on the sleeping ships. The chests were torn open and the contents thrown into the Boston Harbor. Tea leaves scattered everywhere. Some of the patriots tried grabbed up some of the loose tea and stuffed it into their pockets for their own families and personal use. The Sons tried to stop them, but at least one man managed to escape their custody and run through the crowd with his pockets stuffed with tea, even though each person either kicked or hit him as he passed by. Another man, much older, was seen filling his hat with tea, but the Sons grabbed his hat and wig and threw them overboard.

Because of his age, he was allowed to escape. No one was hurt, and aside from the tea, the only damage recorded was one broken padlock. The ships and their crews were unharmed and the Sons of Liberty pulled off the organized protest without being injured or arrested except for one man. Just as quickly as they had come, the men were gone. "We then quietly retired to our several places of residence, without having any conversation with each other, or taking any measures to discover who were our associates; nor do I recollect of our having had the knowledge of the name of a single individual concerned in that affair, except that of Leonard Pitt, the commander of my division, whom I have mentioned. There appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, and risk the consequence for himself. No disorder took place during that transaction, and it was observed at that time that the stillest night ensued that Boston had enjoyed for many months. 4 In their wake lay almost 100,000 pounds of tea, worth 9,000 pounds sterling, or almost $1.5 million in today's money. This act became known as the Boston Tea Party.

Boston Tea Party engraving by W.D. Cooper in his book The History of North America from 1789 | Public domain image. The following morning, boats were sent out to beat the remaining floating tea down with paddles until it was completely drenched and unusable. Who Was Involved in the Boston Tea Party? The most well-known name involved in the Boston Tea Party was that of Paul Revere . However, several other participants were noteworthy. Samuel Cooper, just 16 in 1773, would go on to become a major in the continental army and fight numerous battles. George Hewes, age 31, had been injured in the Boston Massacre after being struck by a rifle. He led one of the parties and wrote an account of the raid ... It was now evening, and I immediately dressed myself in the costume of an Indian, equipped with a small hatchet, which I and my associates denominated the tomahawk, with which, and a club, after having painted my face and hands with coal dust in the shop of a blacksmith, I repaired to Griffin's wharf, where the ships lay that contained the tea.

When I first appeared in the street after being thus disguised, I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped and painted as I was, and who fell in with me and marched in order to the place of our destination. ( The Boston Tea Party Historical Society , from which we obtained this quote, has extensive information on the colonial raid.) George Hewes was rejected as a soldier and did not fight in the revolutionary war. Thomas Crafts, Jr., however, another participant in the Boston Tea Party, became a member of Major Paddock's famous Paddock's Artillery Company and attained the rank of colonel in the continental army. The patriot organization, the Sons of Liberty, provided the most participants that November night. It's also fascinating that of those involved in the protest whose ages are known, two-thirds were under 20 years of age. Final Comments The Boston Tea Party was an act of rebellion from which the strained relationship between Britain and the colonies would never recover. The captains of the three ships were summoned to the privy council, but were unable to identify any of the people involved with the Boston Tea Party. The Coercive Acts (or "Intolerable") acts followed swiftly to punish the colony of Massachusetts.

The British closed down the port with the Boston Port Act until the city of Boston paid the damages. and within a year the Americans would convene the first Continental Congress to organize the protest against Britain. Boston Massacre Boston Tea Party Historical Society Boston Tea Party Historical Society Timeline of Events Preceeding the Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party was a symbolic event of the Revolution, but one can speculate with a good degree of certainty that it would not have occurred if not for the series of historic events in Boston and other colonies that preceded it. In his book, Encyclopedia of American History, Richard B. Morris a renowned historian and one of the former presidents of the Historical Association created a concise factual timeline of the major milestones that lead to the most famous American protest. 1764 Sugar Act Parliament, desiring revenue from its North American colonies, passed the first law specifically aimed at raising colonial money for the Crown. The act increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies. Currency Act This act prohibited American colonies from issuing their own currency, angering many American colonists. Beginnings of Colonial Opposition American colonists responded to the Sugar Act and the Currency Act with protest.

In Massachusetts, participants in a town meeting cried out against taxation without proper representation in Parliament, and suggested some form of united protest throughout the colonies. By the end of the year, many colonies were practicing nonimportation, a refusal to use imported English goods. 1765 Quartering Act The British further angered American colonists with the Quartering Act, which required the colonies to provide barracks and supplies to British troops. Stamp Act Parliament's first direct tax on the American colonies, this act, like those passed in 1764, was enacted to raise money for Britain. It taxed newspapers, almanacs, pamphlets, broadsides, legal documents, dice, and playing cards. Issued by Britain, the stamps were affixed to documents or packages to show that the tax had been paid. Organized Colonial Protest American colonists responded to Parliament's acts with organized protest. Throughout the colonies, a network of secret organizations known as the Sons of Liberty was created, aimed at intimidating the stamp agents who collected Parliament's taxes. Before the Stamp Act could even take effect, all the appointed stamp agents in the colonies had resigned. The Massachusetts Assembly suggested a meeting of all the colonies to work for the repeal of the Stamp Act.

All but four colonies were represented. The Stamp Act Congress passed a "Declaration of Rights and Grievances," which claimed that American colonists were equal to all other British citizens, protested taxation without representation, and stated that, without colonial representation in Parliament, Parliament could not tax colonists. In addition, the colonists increased their nonimportation efforts. 1766 Repeal of the Stamp Act Although some in Parliament thought the army should be used to enforce the Stamp Act (1765), others commended the colonists for resisting a tax passed by a legislative body in which they were not represented. The act was repealed, and the colonies abandoned their ban on imported British goods. Declaratory Act The repeal of the Stamp Act did not mean that Great Britain was surrendering any control over its colonies. The Declaratory Act, passed by Parliament on the same day the Stamp Act was repealed, stated that Parliament could make laws binding the American colonies "in all cases whatsoever." Resistance to the Quartering Act in New York New York served as headquarters for British troops in America, so the Quartering Act (1765) had a great impact on New York City.

When the New York Assembly refused to assist in quartering troops, a skirmish occurred in which one colonist was wounded. Parliament suspended the Assembly's powers but never carried out the suspension, since the Assembly soon agreed to contribute money toward the quartering of troops. 1767 Townshend Acts To help pay the expenses involved in governing the American colonies, Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, which initiated taxes on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Nonimportation In response to new taxes, the colonies again decided to discourage the purchase of British imports. "Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies." Originally published in a newspaper, this widely reproduced pamphlet by John Dickinson declared that Parliament could not tax the colonies, called the Townshend Acts unconstitutional, and denounced the suspension of the New York Assembly as a threat to colonial liberties. 1768 Massachusetts Circular Letter Samuel Adams wrote a statement, approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, which attacked Parliament's persistence in taxing the colonies without proper representation, and which called for unified resistance by all the colonies. Many colonies issued similar statements. In response, the British governor of Massachusetts dissolved the state's legislature. British Troops Arrive in Boston.

Although the Sons of Liberty threatened armed resistance to arriving British troops, none was offered when the troops stationed themselves in Boston. 1769 Virginia's Resolutions The Virginia House of Burgesses passed resolutions condemning Britain's actions against Massachusetts, and stating that only Virginia's governor and legislature could tax its citizens. The members also drafted a formal letter to the King, completing it just before the legislature was dissolved by Virginia's royal governor. 1770 Townshend Acts Cut Back Because of the reduced profits resulting from the colonial boycott of imported British goods, Parliament withdrew all of the Townshend Act (1767) taxes except for the tax on tea. An End to Nonimportation In response to Parliament's relaxation of its taxation laws, the colonies relaxed their boycott of British imported goods (1767). Conflict between Citizens and British Troops in New York After a leading New York Son of Liberty issued a broadside attacking the New York Assembly for complying with the Quartering Act (1765), a riot erupted between citizens and soldiers, resulting in serious wounds but no fatalities. Boston Massacre The arrival of troops in Boston provoked conflict between citizens and soldiers that became known as the Boston Massacre .

On March 5, a group of soldiers surrounded by an unfriendly crowd opened fire, killing three Americans and fatally wounding two more. A violent uprising was avoided only with the withdrawal of the troops to islands in the harbor. The soldiers were tried for murder, but convicted only of lesser crimes; noted patriot John Adams was their principal lawyer. 1772 Attack on the "Gaspee." After several boatloads of men attacked a grounded British customs schooner near Providence, Rhode Island, the royal governor offered a reward for the discovery of the men, planning to send them to England for trial. The removal of the "Gaspee" trial to England outraged American colonists. Committees of Correspondence Samuel Adams called for a Boston town meeting to create committees of correspondence to communicate Boston's position to the other colonies. Similar committees were soon created throughout the colonies. 1773 Tea Act By reducing the tax on imported British tea, this act gave British merchants an unfair advantage in selling their tea in America. American colonists condemned the act, and many planned to boycott tea. Boston Tea Party When British tea ships arrived in Boston harbor, many citizens wanted the tea sent back to England without the payment of any taxes. The royal governor insisted on payment of all taxes.

On December 16, a group of men disguised as Indians boarded the ships and dumped all the tea in the harbor. 1774 Coercive Acts In response to the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed several acts to punish Massachusetts. The Boston Port Bill banned the loading or unloading of any ships in Boston harbor. The Administration of Justice Act offered protection to royal officials in Massachusetts, allowing them to transfer to England all court cases against them involving riot suppression or revenue collection. The Massachusetts Government Act put the election of most government officials under the control of the Crown, essentially eliminating the Massachusetts charter of government. Quartering Act Parliament broadened its previous Quartering Act (1765). British troops could now be quartered in any occupied dwelling. The Colonies Organize Protest To protest Britain's actions, Massachusetts suggested a return to nonimportation, but several states preferred a congress of all the colonies to discuss united resistance. The colonies soon named delegates to a congress -- the First Continental Congress -- to meet in Philadelphia on September 5. The First Continental Congress Twelve of the thirteen colonies sent a total of fifty-six delegates to the First Continental Congress. Only Georgia was not represented.

One accomplishment of the Congress was the Association of 1774, which urged all colonists to avoid using British goods, and to form committees to enforce this ban. New England Prepares for War British troops began to fortify Boston, and seized ammunition belonging to the colony of Massachusetts. Thousands of American militiamen were ready to resist, but no fighting occurred. Massachusetts created a Provincial Congress, and a special Committee of Safety to decide when the militia should be called into action. Special groups of militia, known as Minute Men, were organized to be ready for instant action. 1775 New England Restraining Act Parliament passed an act banning trade between the New England colonies and any other country besides Great Britain. New England Resists British troops continued to attempt to seize colonial ammunition, but were turned back in Massachusetts, without any violence. Royal authorities decided that force should be used to enforce recent acts of Parliament; war seemed unavoidable. Lexington and Concord British troops planned to destroy American ammunition at Concord. When the Boston Committee of Safety learned of this plan, it sent Paul Revere and William Dawes to alert the countryside and gather the Minute Men.

On April 19, Minute Men and British troops met at Lexington, where a shot from a stray British gun lead to more British firing. The Americans only fired a few shots; several Americans were killed. The British marched on to Concord and destroyed some ammunition, but soon found the countryside swarming with militia. At the end of the day, many were dead on both sides. The Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia on May 10. John Hancock was elected president of Congress. George Washington is named commander-in-chief On June 10, John Adams proposed that Congress consider the forces in Boston a Continental army, and suggested the need for a general. He recommended George Washington for the position. Congress began to raise men from other colonies to join the army in New England, and named a committee to draft military rules. On June 15, Washington was nominated to lead the army; he accepted the next day. To pay for the army, Congress issued bills of credit, and the twelve colonies represented in the Congress promised to share in repaying the bills. Bunker Hill On June 12, British General Gage put martial law in effect, and stated that any person helping the Americans would be considered a traitor and rebel.

When Americans began to fortify a hill against British forces, British ships in the harbor discovered the activity and opened fire. British troops -- 2,400 in number -- arrived shortly after. Although the Americans -- 1,000 in number -- resisted several attacks, eventually they lost the fortification. Olive Branch Petition Congress issued a petition declaring its loyalty to the king, George III, and stating its hope that he would help arrange a reconciliation and prevent further hostilities against the colonies. Four months later, King George III rejected the petition and declared the colonies in rebellion. Congress Treaties with the Indians Acting as an independent government, Congress appointed commissioners to create peace treaties with the Indians. Congress Creates a Navy Congress began to plan for aggressive action against British ships stocked with ammunition. It authorized the building of four armed ships, and began to formulate rules for a navy. On December 22, Congress named Esek Hopkins commodore of the fledgling American navy. Soon after, Congress authorized privateering, and issued rules for dealing with enemy vessels and plunder. Congress Searches for Foreign Aid When a congressional committee began to investigate the possibility of foreign aid in the war against Great Britain, France expressed interest.

Categories Boston Tea Party Blog Boston Tea Party In 1770, American protests led to Parliament's repeal of the Townshend duties ï¿½ except for the duty on tea retained by the British as a matter of principle. The colonists demonstrated their displeasure with the remaining tax by drinking smuggled tea. The effectiveness of American resistance was shown in the precipitous decline in tea sales in the colonies ï¿½ a drop of 70 percent over three years. In 1773 Parliament passed the Tea Act , which gave the English East India Company a chance to avert bankruptcy by granting a monopoly on the importation of tea into the colonies. The new regulations allowed the company to sell tea to the colonists at a low price, lower than the price of smuggled tea, even including the required duty. The British reasoned that the Americans would willingly pay the tax if they were able to pay a low price for the tea. On November 28 the Dartmouth arrived in Boston harbor with a cargo of Darjeeling tea. Samuel Adams and other radicals were determined that the cargo would not be landed in the city. His mobs roamed the streets in the evenings, threatening violence if challenged by the authorities.

Governor Thomas Hutchinson was equally belligerent and vowed not to capitulate in the face of public opposition as had happened in other colonies. Two other ships, the Beaver and the Eleanor, arrived with more consignments from the East India Company. Hutchinson remained firm and stated that the cargoes would be brought ashore and taxed in compliance with the law. The Tea Act required that the requisite tax be collected within 20 days of a shipï¿½s arrival, making December 16 the deadline. Sam Adams kept public fervor high by holding public meetings in the Old South Meeting House ; crowds as large as 5,000 clogged the surrounding streets. At one of these gatherings, a resolution was adopted that asked the consignees to return the tea. Those tea agents, some of them relatives of the governor, refused to do so. On December 16, the owner of the Dartmouth agreed to sail his ship back to England. This opportunity to ease tensions was abruptly ended, however, when British officials denied permission for the ship to clear the port and began preparations to seize the vessel for nonpayment of the tax.

That evening the ship owner reported his inability to depart from Boston to the throng at Old South. With that news Adams gave a signal to the group and loud Indian war whoops broke out. A group of some 50 men, unconvincingly disguised as Mohawk Indians, moved the short distance to Griffinï¿½s Wharf where the three ships were moored. The vessels were boarded, the cargo carefully taken from the holds and placed on the decks. There, 342 chests were split open and thrown into the harbor. A cheering crowd on the dock shouted its approval for the brewing of this ï¿½saltwater tea." The ï¿½Tea Party" was quickly restaged in other port cities in America and tended to polarize the sides in the widening dispute. Patriots and Loyalists became more ardent about their views. The prevailing view was that the destruction of private property was unwelcome, but understandable under the circumstances. A popular song of the day was called "Revolutionary Tea." Its first stanza was, "There was an old lady lived over the sea, And she was an Island Queen; Her daughter lived off in a new country, With an ocean of water between.

The old lady's pockets were full of gold, But never contented was she, So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax, Of three pence a pound on her tea, Of three pence a pound on her tea." Parliament and King chafed at the destruction of private property and the deliberate flouting of royal authority. They would soon turn to sterner actions . Back in Time: 239 years after the Boston Tea Party, a museum reenactment - The Boston Globe 239 years after the Boston Tea Party, a museum reenactment By Christopher Klein Globe correspondent December 16, 2012 CHRISTOPHER KLEIN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE Costumed volunteers at Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum where, above, they toss crates of tea into the harbor. The calendar said winter had yet to arrive in Boston, but the icy wind testified to the contrary. Fifes and drums coaxed a crowd into the meetinghouse, where Samuel Adams’s fiery rhetoric against the hated tea tax melted away the chill. Boots stomped upon the wooden floor planks. Hands pounded the pews.

The audience expressed its disgust for the Crown’s tyranny by unleashing the 18th-century expletive: “Fie!” Soon the frenzied horde began to chant, “Dump the tea into the sea!” With the rabble sufficiently roused, the angry mob was set loose upon the city — just as soon as we filed out of the rows in an orderly fashion. It wasn’t Dec. 16, 1773, but just another day at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, which reopened in June near the Griffin’s Wharf location where patriots boarded three ships and heaved 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor. Advertisement The museum promises a “multi-layered experience” with high-tech special effects, replica ships, and reenactors in period costumes — and period accents. It’s very much a theme-park approach to history. (And with a cost of $25 for a one-hour tour, there are theme-park prices to match.) Upon entering the museum, we were given cards with brief biographies of actual Tea Party protesters, identities we would assume for the next hour.

I realized I was dealt a bad hand as I read about my alter ego, John Crane, the Colonist caper’s lone casualty. After being knocked unconscious by a falling tea crate, Crane was thought to be dead and hidden by his compatriots under a pile of wood shavings in a nearby carpenter’s shop. Get The Weekender in your inbox: The Globe's top picks for what to see and do each weekend, in Boston and beyond. Sign Up Thank you for signing up! Sign up for more newsletters here He awoke hours later, however, and given a new lease on life, much like this museum itself, which was destroyed by a lightning strike in 2001 and set ablaze again in 2007 from sparks from a construction project on the Congress Street Bridge. Reborn after a $28 million makeover, the attraction features historically accurate replicas of two of the Tea Party ships, the Eleanor and the Beaver, which were modified from wooden fishing vessels.

(A replica of the Dartmouth will be built from scratch, starting in 2013.) Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum opens to a different world Our group, after being dispatched by Adams, boarded the Eleanor to a chorus of “Huzzahs!” Although warned of the risks — arrest, hanging, bombardment by British warships — we sons and daughters of liberty were not to be dissuaded as we sent several canvas-wrapped tea crates overboard. These replicas that splashed into the Fort Point Channel proved more buoyant than the originals and came equipped with ropes so they could be fished out quickly for the next tour. After a trip below deck to explore the Eleanor’s crew quarters, our guide led us inside to watch three-dimensional holograms of a Tory and a patriot arguing about the destruction of the tea. In the next room, decorated like a Colonial parlor, portraits of a haughty King George III and Sam Adams suddenly sprang to life in a bit of audiovisual magic, and the two men exchanged verbal blows using dialogue taken from their written correspondence. Advertisement The lone Tea Party artifact we saw was the Robinson Half Chest, one of only two known crates that survived.

Local teenager John Robinson discovered the partially submerged chest in the harbor muck the morning after the protest. Given that it had been hacked open and sent to a watery demise, the old box appeared to be in good condition inside a protective glass cylinder. Our tour climaxed with a multisensory film, “Let It Begin Here,” that fast-forwarded us 16 months after the Tea Party to the start of the Revolution. The wraparound screen put us in the middle of Lexington Green. The floor shook as British troops marched. Quick bursts of air struck our cheeks as muskets fired. The drama was broken at the film’s conclusion, however, as a patriot with a wounded arm hanging limply in a bloody sling appeared on screen to ask the audience — “ladies and gentlemen and patriots all” — to join him in a sing-along of “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” (“America”) as vignettes of every American icon short of amber waves of grain flashed behind him. It’s a bit of star-spangled schmaltz, but the museum is a saccharine attraction intended to leave you on a sugar high. Our group appeared to enjoy themselves.

Those wanting more nourishing historical sustenance or a nuanced examination of the Boston Tea Party and its enduring, and very contemporary political, appeal might be disappointed. Anyone seeking a little more authenticity can find it nearby at the Old South Meeting House. No holograms here, just real history. This is the spot where thousands of Bostonians gathered on that December day in 1773 to listen to Adams before embarking on their political protest. Christopher Klein can be reached at © 2017 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC You're reading 1 of 5 free articles. Get UNLIMITED access for only 99¢ per week Subscribe Now > You're reading1 of 5 free articles.Keep scrolling to see more articles recomended for you Subscribe now We hope you've enjoyed your 5 free articles. Continue reading by subscribing to Globe.com for just 99¢. Special Offer for Business Travelers Get the day’s top stories by 6 am. and breaking news as it unfolds Connect with Facebook Sign up & return to story Please enter a valid email Get Today’s Headlines every morning and breaking news as it unfolds.

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Question: In which year was 'The Boston Tea Party'?
Answer: 1773