Bostonteaparty

The Boston Tea Party: The importance of the event in American History Paul Reeves Pasco Hernando Community College Abstract The Boston Tea Party was the most important event leading up to the Revolutionary War. The American Colonists were being taxed without representation by the British Government. The British Government was trying to pay for the debt raised by the French and Indian Warn. They felt that the debt was occurred to protect the Colonies from The French and the Indians. The British started levying taxes against currency, sugar and stamps. These different Acts were meeting with much opposition. These acts strongly limited how the colonist could live and what they had to pay on differ items. The colonist started to riot against these different acts. The Parliament soon repelled these acts. The Parliament soon passed the Townshend Act which put duties on lead, glass, paint, paper and tea. The British East India Company was on the edge of bankruptcy and the British Parliament was trying to save it. The Tea Act was passed in May of 1773. The colonists were up in arms over the passing of this act. When the British East India Company tried to bring their tea into the harbor it was met with opposition. The Boston Tea Party soon followed. The tea from the three ships in the harbor was dumped into Boston Harbor. The British Government reacted harshly to this indecent. The British Government passed more Acts against the colonies. The colonies formed the Continental congress. The Continental Congress wanted the British to understand their grievances against them. The final outcome was the colonists were forced into war to protect themselves against the British rule. The Boston Tea Party: The importance of the event in American History The Boston Tea Party was the key event leading up to the Revolutionary War. This act by the colonist started a violent part of the Revolutionary War. The following events were created by the snow effect of taxation on the cash strapped colonists. The events we are describing today will show how the Boston Tea Party led to the Revolutionary War. The colonists fled the mother country, England, to start a new life in a new world. The British Government still tried to keep the colonist under their control. The causes for the Boston Tea Party had begun almost ten years before (1763) when the English won the French-and-Indian War. The British government went deep into debt to win the French and Indian War. “No matter what the cost, our goal is to win the war” stated William Pitt the acting Prime Minister during the war( Fleming). The colonies had grown from a population of 250,000 in 1700 to 1.25 million in 1750. Britain required raw materials including cooper, hemp, and turpentine. The British Government stated that all American products must be shipped to England. The British Government adopted the policy that the colonies should pay an increased proportion if not all the costs associated with keeping the North American Colonies secure from the French, Indians, and other nearby threats. The Parliament passed the Proclamation of 1763, which stated that settlers were not allowed beyond the Appalachian Mountains as well as stationing ten thousand British soldiers along the Appalachian Mountains. Many of the colonists were upset because they had been promised land beyond the Appalachian Mountains (Fleming). The British Government took a more authoritative role in the relationship with the North American Colonies. They began to strictly enforce the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts stated that the Colonies were created to benefit England. This meant that the Colonies had to trade only with England. The colonists hired James Otis to protest the new found taxations. He put out pamphlets called The Rights of the British Colonists Asserted and Proved. This was one of the first criticisms of British taxation (us history). The king of Britain passed taxes on the Colonist to make up for money lost in the French Indian War. He did it in a line of acts, called the Currency Act, Sugar Act and Stamp Act. The Currency Act stated Colonist had to use gold or silver to pay for goods and services. The colonies were no longer permitted to lawfully print money. This meant that the colonies would have to pay with gold or silver (Fleming). The Sugar Act was a tax to protect and secure the colonist. The Stamp Act was a tax on all licenses, newspapers, and business papers This Act required every printed document to be taxed and verified with a special stamp issued by stamp distributors and could be paid for in gold or silver (Tyler).The Stamp Act was the first attempt to show authority over the British Colonies. Soon after these acts were passed the colonists formed a group called the Sons of Liberty. This act caused the British to send more troops to the area. When this happened the colonist began to riot more and become defiance toward the mother country. The Boston Massacre of 1770 followed these acts of taxation by the British government (Maire). The Boston Massacre was a major starting point for tension between the English and the colonist. The British regulars on March 5, 1770, massacred 5 colonists on State Street in Boston (Marie). This came about because of the British trying to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by their government on the colonist. The colonists reacted with protests against these acts, which made the British Parliament repel the taxes within five months of the massacre. The Parliament passed the Townshend Duties which the colonists called the Insidious Acts (Fleming). This put duties on lead, glass, paint, paper, and tea brought into the country. Mass meetings were held and people raised their voices in protest. The colonists tried to influence others not to buy English imported goods .The Colonist women began wearing homespun dresses instead of store bought dresses. The colonists did not want to pay any taxes to a government they didn’t support. The Townsend Act was lifted with the single exception of continued taxation on tea (Tyler). The British East India Tea Company was on the edge of ruin. In 1773, Parliament tried to bailout the East-India Company by giving exclusive rights to sell tea to the colonists. The East India Tea Company had excessive amounts of tea on hand. The British were trying to keep the colonists from buying tea from the Dutch. The British passed the Tea Act on 10 May 1773 (masshistory). The act said tea sold by East India Tea Company would carry no duty by the British, but the teas taxes would be paid at the point of entry. Special agents were appointed in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston to sell the tea. These agents were given a monopoly on the right to sell tea in the American Colonies. The British Government thought this would be greeted with open arms. The colonists saw through this weak plan. Protests soon circulate. Writing out of Philadelphia, “Scaevola” rebukes the tea agents, calling them political bombardiers ( masshistory). The colonists thought that if they paid this duty it would be the start of taxation again. Even the people in England were upset because they weren’t getting tea as cheap as in America for a short time. False rumors started to spread through the colonies that there was poison, bugs, and rat tails in the tea (Francis). The smugglers were also angry because this would wipe out their illegal business. The smugglers were supplying the colonist with tea from the Dutch which made the British Government very mad (Funk). In the fall of 1773 newspapers publish that the East India Company is bringing tea into Boston Harbor. The Boston consignees petition the governor to help safe guard the tea. The British troops are tied up after the Boston Massacre and cannot help. The troops are not able to respond which leaves the streets open to the rioters. September, 1773, a radical group discovers that the three ships from East India Tea our on their way to Boston Harbor. They realized that if these were allowed to unload their tea it would defeat their moral and put a large set back in the attempts to hold off the British control. The radical group want to make the agents for the tea company resign in the town square to embarrass them. Large groups of colonists quit drinking tea and started drinking coffee at this time to show support. On Sunday, 28 November, the Dartmouth, carrying 144 chests of tea, arrives in Boston Harbor. A meeting, open to all Bostonians and anyone from neighboring towns who chooses to attend (a group indentified as the Body), is called at Faneuil Hall. (masshistory). The group demands that the tea be returned and they appoint 25 men to watch the wharf. December 15, two other boats, the Eleanor and Beaver, arrive at Griffin’s Wharf. On Thursday morning, December 16 another meeting of more than 5000 Bostonians gathers to try and stop the tea from being unloaded. One of the tea –ship captains was asked, whose twenty-day limit would expire at midnight, to obtain clearance from Governor Hutchinson. The governor turned him down readily (Fleming).The colonist must pay the tax by 17 December on the first ship or the custom officers will seize the ships and force its cargo a shore. When the governor turned them down a large group of men, decided to dump the tea into the harbor. They divided into three groups dressed up as Mohawk Indians and stormed the harbor. They made the captains and men go down below to stay out of any harm. They grabbed all the boxes of tea tore them open and threw them into the harbor. Not one single bit of tea reached the final destination. This act would later be called the Boston Tea Party. The British Government say this act as an act of vandalism against the British East India Company. The British Government reacted harshly to the indecent. They closed the Boston Harbor and sent 4000 soldiers to the area. The British Government passed the Intolerable Acts. The next act was the Government Act which gave Massachusetts a royal charter along with British General Thomas Gage as royal governor, and allowed only one town meeting per year. The next act was the Administration of Justice Act which gave the British the right to return to England, if charged with a crime. The fourth act was the Quartering Act which allowed the British to forcibly remove colonists from both private homes and business (Fleming). These acts lead to the colonists boycotting all British goods. The first Continental Congress was soon setup after all the British governments’ harsh acts were put in place. The Continental Congress meets in Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. All colonies were present except for Georgia. The different delegates showed up to show their strength against The British Rule. The only problem was that each state had different ideas what the purpose of the meeting was. The group was divided between making up with the British or seeking separation. The congress sought to right the wrongs that had been done against the colonies. Virginia’s group was made up of soon to be leaders of our new country. The group included George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Richard Bland and the leader at that time Peyton Randolph ( us history). The group decided that The British Government must understand the grievances the colonists had and make every effort to communicate with them. The group as a hole did not trust each other because in the past they had always been independent from each other. The group came to a decision on October 14,1774 to send the British Government a Declaration of Resolve to set forth there plan to for the colonies. They decided to meet in one year if the British did meet their demands. Several days later, on the 20th came the Association , which was patterned after the Virginia Association and others that followed. They asked for the non-importation, non-exportation, and non consumption of British goods and to keep the channels of communication open (us history). The final decision to go to war was not easy. Men had to make great sacrifices for home and family. The largest number of patriots could be found in the area of Boston. The restrictions on trade made it very difficult on the people in this area. The Bostonians had long history of town meetings and were very unhappy with the British rule. Soon the Revolutionary War would start. Shots were heard around Lexington and Concord. The British Redcoats soon were firing on the people of Boston. The British Army was soon arresting patriot leaders. The Second Continental congress was convened in Philadelphia on May, 1775. The number one question now was how the colonists would meet the threat from the British Soldiers. They decided to form the Continental Army. The congress named George Washington of Virginia the Supreme Commander (us history). The congress needed a way to pay for the war so they authorized the printing of money. The American delegates pleaded with George III of England to attempt a peaceful resolution. King George III flat refused and ordered the patriots to be treated as criminals. The men that meet in Philadelphia were now wanted for Treason (us history). George Washington took control of the Continental Army on July 2, 1775. The main problem facing Washington was there was no chain of command. The next step was to set up a plan of action for fighting the battles that lie ahead. Months went by before congress finally meet on June7, 1776 in Philadelphia to make a resolution to declare independence from the British Government. Then on June 11, 1776 Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston are named to draft a declaration of independence. The congress receives the draft of the Declaration of Independence between july1-4, 1776 they make revisions to it the body of work. The congress adapts the Declaration of Independence on the morning of July 4, 1776. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence happens in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776(us history). This lead to a long hard fought war that lasted for over ten years. On April 15, 1783 the Continental Congress ratified preliminary articles of peace that ended the Revolutionary War. The main factor which lead up to the American Colonists revolt was the British Government kept trying to force the Colonists to pay for the French and Indian War. The British Government wanted the new colonists to pay taxes without have any say in how the taxes were levied. The colonists formed committees to resist unfair taxation and trade monopolies. The British thought the colonists were there to serve the mother country. When the Boston Tea Party was finally over the British Government took grave action against the colonies. These actions lead to many good citizens who were happy to be under British rule to take a hard look at their beliefs. The colonists had fled the mother country to escape her rule and now in the new country the British were raising its’ ugly head again The dumping of the tea was the most destructive act the colonist had taken against the British rule at this time. The Boston Tea Party was a bold move which was the first step leading toward the Revolutionary War and freedom and independence for the American Colonies. The protest was not only against the taxation on tea but the way the British Government was trying to oppress the American Colonies. “References” Fleming W. The Revolution. (Online) Available http://usa.revolution/ Francis, T. Library. New Years: North American Printing Company, 1993. Maire, P. Boston Tea Party World Book Encyclopedia. 1982. Tyler, J. The Boston Tea Party. (Online) Available http://aol/bostonteaparty.html US History.org/declaration/related/assoc74.htm