Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

306 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210

Dec 16, 1773, Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians and armed with axes quietly boarded three ships, the Beaver, the Dartmouth, and the Eleanor, carrying British East India Company Tea moored at Griffin’s Wharf and within 3 hours smashed and dumped 340 chests of tea. That’s over 92,000lbs of tea destroyed. This event was critical in sparking the American Revolution

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According to the 1767 Townshend Act the absolute deadline for payment of the tea tax was 20 days after the arrival of the tea or the ships and cargo would be seized by authorities. While the act forced colonists to only purchase British tea and pay the tax, the tea was still cheaper than other foreign imports. The raid was very carefully planned in advance so there would be no violence and no destruction to private property. No eyewitnesses were able to confirm the identities of any participants.

Many of the Boston Tea Party participants fled Boston immediately after the destruction of the tea to avoid arrest. George Hewes remembered, “We then quietly retired to our several places of residence, without having any conversation with each other, or taking any measures to discover who were our associates… There appeared to be an understanding that each individual should volunteer his services, keep his own secret, and risk the consequence for himself. No disorder took place during that transaction, and it was observed at that time that the stillest night ensued that Boston had enjoyed for many months.” Only one member of the Sons of Liberty, Francis Akeley, was caught and imprisoned for his participation. He was the only person ever to be arrested for the Boston Tea Party.

Still weeks later Boston Harbor smelled of tea and locals went out in rowboats to beat the tea to prevent it from being salvaged as it lay floating in considerable quantities. This led to the Intolerable Acts previously labelled Boston Port Act where Boston Harbor was shut down until all 340 chests of tea were paid for. American Colonists responded by convening the First Continental Congress. The Boston Tea Party was the first significant act of defiance by American colonists and is a defining event in American history. The implication and impact of the Boston Tea Party were enormous ultimately leading to the start of the American Revolution.

To this day Americans generally prefer coffee over tea. Many attribute this to the history of how drinking coffee was viewed as a political statement in the colonies following the Boston Tea Party, with tea then being considered the beverage of the enemy.

See video for how East India Company influenced Tea Act

See links below for more details on the days surrounding the party.

-Source Links-

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/boston-teapot-tonight

https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-history

https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/head-tilting-history/sip-sip-hurrah-how-coffee-shaped-revolutionary-america