The Boston Tea Party: Origins and Impact on American Revolution
English with a size of 3.27 KBThe Boston Tea Party: A Defining Protest
The Boston Tea Party, referred to in its time simply as "the destruction of the tea" or by other informal names (and only formally named "Boston Tea Party" half a century later), was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, a city in the British colony of Massachusetts. This act of defiance was directed against the tax policy of the British government and the East India Company, which controlled all the tea imported into the colonies. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, frequently referenced by other political protests.
Governor Hutchinson's Stance and Escalation
Protesters had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies. However, in Boston, the embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. The crisis escalated significantly, ultimately leading to the American Revolutionary War, which began near Boston in 1775.
Underlying Causes of the Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party arose from two critical issues confronting the British Empire by 1765:
- The severe financial problems of the British East India Company.
- An ongoing dispute regarding the extent of Parliament's authority, if any, over the British American colonies without granting them elected representation.
Colonial protests had previously resulted in the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1765. Yet, in the 1966 Declaratory Act, Parliament continued to insist that it had the right to legislate for the colonies "in all cases whatsoever."
British Tea Trade and Colonial Resistance
Despite the protests, dutied British tea, however, continued to be imported into Boston, especially by merchants like Richard Clarke and the sons of Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson. This continued until pressure from Massachusetts Whigs compelled them to abide by the non-importation agreement.
Parliament finally responded to the widespread protests by repealing most of the Townshend taxes in 1770. However, Prime Minister Lord North deliberately kept the tea duty to assert "the right of taxing the Americans." This partial repeal of the taxes was sufficient to bring an end to the non-importation movement by October 1770. From 1771 to 1773, British tea was once again imported into the colonies in significant amounts, with merchants paying the Townshend duty of three pence per pound. Boston emerged as the largest colonial importer of legal tea, while smugglers still dominated the market in New York and Philadelphia.
The Indemnity Act and Governor Hutchinson's Influence
The Indemnity Act of 1767, which had provided the East India Company with a refund of the duty on tea re-exported to the colonies, expired in 1772. In this context, Governor Thomas Hutchinson convinced the tea consignees, two of whom were his own sons, not to back down from accepting the dutied tea.