| The Boston Tea
December 16, 1773
Three ships lay at Griffin's Wharf in Boston at an impasse. The Dartmouth,
the Elanor and the Beaver were guarded by just over twenty revolutionary
guards to prevent them from being unloaded. Yet Massachusetts Governor,
Thomas Hutchinson, the grandson of Anne Hutchinson would not permit the
ships to depart without unloading.
Frederick North, England's Prime Minister never expected this tea tax
to cause an outcry, let alone revolution. In 1767 England reduced its
property taxes at home. To balance the national budget they needed to
find a mechanism for the American colonies to pay for the expense of stationing
officials in them. Under the Townshed Act the officials would generate
their own revenue by collecting taxes on all imported goods, and once
paid affixing stamps on them. This Stamp Tax generated more in the way
of protests and smuggling than added revenue.
Recognizing this failure, Lord North repealed the stamp tax in 1773, except
for a reduced tax which remained on tea. This was both out of principal
to maintain the English ability to tax, and to support a national company,
the East India Tea Company, which had suffered revenue loss as nearly
90% of America's tea had been smuggled from foreign lands. This tea would
be the only legally imported tea in the colonies, and old at a discount
below customary prices to curtail smuggling.
American merchants recognized this monopoly took money from their pockets,
and resisted this tea monopoly. Merchants added to the revolutionary fervor.
Locally the agents of the East India company were pressured to resign
their posts, and ships were sent away unloaded from American coasts.
a decade Sam Adams had been inspiring revolution, this was his hour. Adams
is widely believed to have orchestrated the Boston Tea Party. A town meeting
was called for the evening of December 16th at Faneuil
Hall. All British eyes were on the meeting, which when it overfilled
Faneuil moved to the larger Old
There was little notice of a committee which met with Governor Hutchinson
during the meeting, or the messenger who returned with news that no settlement
could be reached. But at that exact moment colonials disguised as Mohawk
Indians boarded the three ships.
As John Adams later noted, these were no ordinary Mohawks. They had already
organized themselves into boarding parties who easily took over the merchant
ships and demanded access to the cargo. Discipline prevented the participants
from vandalizing the ships, or stealing tea for personal consumption.
They destroyed 14,000 British pounds of tea, which equates to over one
million dollars in today's currency.
Lord North's reaction was fierce. 3,000 British soldiers were sent to
Boston, which equalled one fifth of the town's population. Boston's port
was closed except for military ships, self governance was suspended. In
order to house these troops, rights were given to soldiers to quarter
themselves in any unoccupied colonial building. The Old South Church,
the point were the teaparty was launched was gutted by the British and
converted to a riding arena and pub for troops.
By January of 1775 it was clear to Lord North that revolution was at hand.
He sent a peace making delegation offering to end all taxes provided the
colonies promised to pay the salaries of civil authorities regularly.
But it was too late. Events now overtook the hope of a peaceful reconciliation.
That spring, on April 16th the American Crisis turned into the American
Revolution, and Lord North tendered his resignation.
King George refused North's resignation, as he would for the duration
of the American Revolutionary war. Lord North would ultimately be known
as the Prime Minister who lost England's American colonies.