The Original Boston Tea Party

One of the taxes Parliament imposed on America was a tea tax. America began to buy their tea from companies other than British companies. May, 1773, Parliament gave a monopoly of the importation of tea to the East India Company. They redeuced the duty colonies would have to pay making the tea a cheaper price than they could pay elsewhere. But if colonists paid the duty tax on the imported tea, they acknowledged Parliament’s right to tax them without their representation. The British assumed the colonists would pay a cheaper price for tea, a staple of colonial life, rather than stand on principle and refuse to buy tea. They underestimated the colonist’s determination.

East India Company sent shipments to Philadelphia and New York where they weren’t allowed to land. In Charleston, the were permitted to dock, but the tea was consigned to a warehouse where it remained until the revolution.

In Boston, three tea ships arrived causing an angry reaction when 7,000 agitated colonists gathered at the wharf where the ships were docked.. One December 16, 1773, a mass meeting at the Old South Meeting House resolved that the tea ships should leave the harbor without payment or duty. A Collector of Customs refused to allow the ships to leave without the duty payment.

A group of around 200 men disguised as Indians assembled on a hill close to the wharf. They let out was cries, marched to the ships, and dumped the cargos of tea into the harbor. Most colonists approved to the action.

London’s response was swift. In March, 1774, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts which closed the Port of Boston, violated the rights of the colonists, and led directly to the American Revolution.

George Hewes was one of the men boarding the tea ships that evening. His recollection of the event was published some years later. Here’s his account.

"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.

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."