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Transcript

sarah

Boston Tea Party

Compelling question

what causes rebellion

who was responsible for the Boston tea party?

why tea?

what were the events leading up to and during the Boston tea party?

Supporting questions

December 17, 1773

December 14, 1773

December 8, 1773

November 29, 1773

December 16, 1773

December 13, 1773

November 30, 1773

(what were the events that lead up to and during the tea party?)

1773

November 28, 1773

Timeline

The Sons of Liberty were a group of colonial merchants and tradesmen founded to protest the Stamp Act and other forms of taxation. The group of revolutionists included prominent patriots such as Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry and Paul Revere, as well as Adams and Hancock. Led by Adams, the Sons of Liberty held meetings rallying against British Parliament and protested the Griffin’s Wharf arrival of Dartmouth, a British East India Company ship carrying tea. By December 16, 1773, Dartmouth had been joined by her sister ships, Beaver and Eleanor; all three ships loaded with tea from China. That morning, as thousands of colonists convened at the wharf and its surrounding streets, a meeting was held at the Old South Meeting House where a large group of colonists voted to refuse to pay taxes on the tea or allow the tea to be unloaded, stored, sold or used. (Ironically, the ships were built in America and owned by Americans.) Governor Thomas Hutchison refused to allow the ships to return to Britain and ordered the tea tariff be paid and the tea unloaded. The colonists refused, and Hutchison never offered a satisfactory compromise.

Who was responcible?

To protest British Parliament's tax on tea. "No taxation without representation." The demonstrators boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor.Tea was a very important staple drink for the British, also a good source of money.

Why Tea?

Many things can cause Rebellion; marginalization, oppression, intimidation or violence. A rebellion may be the result of personal, political, military, social, or religious grievances, which culminate in a large-scale movement to remove the object of aggression. For the Americans, it was the "taxation without representation".

What Causes Rebellion?

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/boston-tea-party-in-real-time.htmhttps://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-partyyoutube.comhttps://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=402&mode=transcript&img_step=1#page1 https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=402&mode=transcript&img_step=1#page1 https://www.masshist.org/2012/juniper/assets/ed-curricula/blackington_bostontea_party_documents.pdf https://www.britannica.com/event/Boston-Tea-Partyhttps://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-factshttps://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/boston-tea-partyhttps://homework.study.com/explanation/what-causes-rebellion.html#:~:text=This%20may%20be%20the%20result,remove%20the%20object%20of%20aggression.

RESOURSES

THANKS!

Aftermath and New Beginnings

Following the destruction of the tea, the Boston Committee of Correspondence reached out to towns in the Massachusetts countryside asking for their opinions of the Tea Act and whether they supported Boston’s efforts to resist. Sentiments over the destruction of the tea were torn in the countryside. For some, the destruction of the tea represented a necessary measure to protest the injustices levied by Parliament. To others, the destruction of the tea represented an illegal proceeding that threatened to affect the liberties of law-abiding subjects across New England. A town meeting scheduled in Concord on January 10, 1774 will broach the subject with an uneasy population.

The Dartmouth arrives in Boston Harbor

A harbinger of crisis and tension, The Dartmouth, an East India merchant vessel carrying 114 chests of tea has anchored off Castle William. It is the first of four such ships scheduled to arrive in Boston Harbor over the next few weeks. The ship’s arrival is a result of the Tea Act passed by Parliament in May, 1773 allowing the United East India Company to import and sell tea to the North American colonies duty-free, thereby undercutting prices and creating a monopoly on the trade. The act also restricts the selling of tea to hand-picked company merchants known as “consignees.” The idea of a failing corporation receiving a bailout from a government that does not grant colonists any say in the matter does not sit well with many Bostonians. The law requires the tea to be unloaded within twenty days of its arrival but resistance is quickly growing.

The Deadline Approaches

As the twenty-day window to unload the tea begins to close, tensions continue to grow. If the cargo of tea is not unloaded, it will be seized by royal authorities, and the people of Boston will be forced to pay the duty on it. To make matters worse, the Beaver is set to come out of its week-long quarantine tomorrow and dock alongside the other two ships at Griffin’s Wharf. Once again, the “Body of the People” is called upon to gather in Old South Meeting House [tag]. Though the Sons of Liberty had been holding small, secretive meetings over the past two weeks, this is the first time since November 30th that the entire body has met. While some voices remained unheard, it is an opportunity for others to participate in a democratic process that they are normally barred from. The people are voting to have Francis Rotch apply for a clearance from the Customs Office to allow his ship to return to England with the tea onboard. Though time is running out, the Body of the People remain committed to crafting a legitimate, legal refusal of the tea.

The Decisive Day

On the morning of December 16, 1773, nearly 5,000 people gathered at Old South Meeting House in Boston, anxiously awaiting the outcome of Francis Rotch’s meeting with Governor Hutchinson about the tea on the Dartmouth. The meeting had adjourned until 3:00 p.m., and by then, the decision was made to form committees of inspection to prevent further tea importation, even though these committees had no official authority. At 5:45 p.m., Rotch returned with the disappointing news that Hutchinson would not allow the tea to be sent back to England. Despite their best efforts, it seemed the tea would be unloaded and taxed. By 6:00 p.m., the situation escalated as about 150 men, many disguised as Mohawks, headed to Griffin’s Wharf. They boarded the tea ships and, over the course of three hours, meticulously dumped all 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The participants then returned quietly to their homes, leaving behind a calm and still night. The Boston Tea Party was a bold act of defiance against British rule, marking a significant moment in American history.

First meeting

Bostonians are gathering at Faneuil Hall in droves to form an assembled “Body of the People.” They intend to discuss action against the importation of East India Company tea. People from all levels of society are in attendance and the number appears to be growing by the moment. This meeting, organized by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty, is very different from a regular town meeting. Indeed, it represents something new in Boston town politics. Usually, only white men with property are allowed to attend and vote in a town meeting. In this meeting of the “Body of the People” wealthy men with property stand and speak beside artisans, tradesmen and laborers – people who usually need to express their political interests “out of doors” through other means. Questions about who deserves a representative voice in government underlays the crisis from all perspectives. later they moved to a different place to accomodate the size of the crowd and continued discussion the topic at hand

Governor Hutchinson Responds

In the past week, two additional ships, the Eleanor and the Beaver have arrived carrying tea. While the Eleanor immediately docked at Griffin’s Wharf alongside the Dartmouth, the Beaver is quarantined offshore for a week due to a smallpox outbreak. As the crisis grows, Governor Hutchinson hopes to restore order. His first response to the “Body of the People’s” proceedings had been to invoke his civil authority and order them to disperse. However, he now elects to invoke his military authority, and orders the Royal Navy to fire upon the Dartmouth if it attempts to leave Boston Harbor without a clearance. He also instructs the commander of Castle William, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Leslie, to load the fort’s cannons.

Second meeting

This morning the “Body of the People” reconvenes at Old South for an eventful second meeting. First, the proposal of the tea consignees, or East India Company tea merchants, is read aloud. They recognize the will of the people to send the tea back to England, but admit they have no authority to do so, and instead request that the tea be stored until they receive further instruction on the matter. A public declaration from Governor Thomas Hutchinson has also arrived and is read to the body, ordering them to disperse and “cease all further unlawful proceedings at your utmost peril.” The statement is met with “a loud and very general hiss.” In response to Hutchinson, the body motions to prevent the future importation of tea at all costs, and deem anyone who continues to do so an enemy to their country. Additionally, the Boston Committee of Correspondence is put on high alert, ready to spread the news of further developments at the shortest notice. The body of the people have taken the legal steps to prevent the landing of the tea - democratically assembling and voting on common resolutions - yet the Governor has condemned their meeting as an unlawful proceeding.

The Lexington Tea Burning

The people of Lexington stand in solidarity with their countrymen. Following a fiery declaration of support from Minister Jonas Clarke, citizens of Lexington are burning the town’s entire supply of tea in a bonfire on the town common. Though they have not destroyed East India Company tea, they have demonstrated other means of handling the crisis.

SONS OF LIBERTY backstory