The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed colonists on virtually every piece of printed paper they used, from playing cards and business licenses to newspapers and legal documents. The siege included the June 1775 Battle of Bunker ...read more, Most Americans can tell you that the first unofficial “declaration of independence” happened in Boston, when a band of tax-hating renegades dumped King George’s beloved tea into the harbor, a spirited act of defiance that united the colonies in revolution. On March 5, 1770, a street brawl happened in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers. Learn More of 1773 Tea Chest. [93], 1773 American protest against British taxation. The tea party staged in the … While some important colonist leaders such as John Adams were thrilled to learn Boston Harbor was covered in tea leaves, others were not. [54] The tea ship bound for New York City was delayed by bad weather; by the time it arrived, the consignees had resigned, and the ship returned to England with the tea. In time, the American colonists viewed this mandate as a … The day some protestors from the ‘Sons of liberty’ organization boarded on a ship arrived from England carrying a huge amount of tea to America. Boston Tea Party Virtual History Teacher - Students play the role of a virtual history teacher and must grade responses to three questions about the Boston Tea Party. Protesters were instead concerned with a variety of other issues. That night, a large group of men – many reportedly members of the Sons of Liberty – disguised themselves in Native American garb, boarded the docked ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the water. In 1973, on the 200th anniversary of the Tea Party, a mass meeting at Faneuil Hall called for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon and protested oil companies in the ongoing oil crisis. [33], The Tea Act thus retained the three pence Townshend duty on tea imported to the colonies. The Second Continental Congress. [24] The severe famine in Bengal from 1769 to 1773 had drastically reduced the revenue of the East India Company from India bringing the Company to the verge of bankruptcy and the Tea Act of 1773 was enacted to help the East India Company. [better source needed] The property damage amounted to the destruction of 92,000 pounds or 340 chests of tea, reported by the British East India Company worth £9,659, or $1,700,000 dollars in today's money. On December 16, 1773, colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, a political protest and iconic event in American history. 5 - 12+ Subjects. He convinced the tea consignees, two of whom were his sons, not to back down. Even though Hancock did not directly participate in the Boston Tea Party, he was present at the December 16, 1773 meeting at the Old South Meeting House preceding the dumping of the tea. Facts about Boston Tea Party 3: the importance of Boston Tea Party. [9] The biggest market for illicit tea was England—by the 1760s the East India Company was losing £400,000 per year to smugglers in Great Britain[10]—but Dutch tea was also smuggled into British America in significant quantities.[11]. It's all ethically sourced, affordable & feel-good - made from scratch onsite everyday. Boston Tea Party Painting. [46] This was especially true in Massachusetts, the only colony where the Townshend program had been fully implemented. The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. We believe the responsibility of our beloved nation is etched upon the hearts of true Patriots from every race, religion, national origin, and walk of life sharing a common belief in the values which made and keep our beloved nation great. 5. [22] The act also restored the tea taxes within Britain that had been repealed in 1767, and left in place the three pence Townshend duty in the colonies. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence. Former Chancellor of the Exchequer William Dowdeswell, for example, warned Lord North that the Americans would not accept the tea if the Townshend duty remained.