The years leading up to the American Revolution were a critical time in American history. Tensions were very high between the colonists and the British government. In 1765, the British government needed money to afford the approximately ten thousand officers and soldiers living in the American colonies, and intended that the colonists living there should contribute. The British passed a series of taxes aimed at the colonists, and many of the colonists refused to pay certain taxes. They were irritated that Parliament insisted on ruling the colonies, considering that the colonists didn’t have anybody to represent them in Parliament. One of the bills that Parliament passed was the Tea Act in 1773. The heading of the Tea Act stated, “An act to
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One reason Parliament passed the Tea Act was to combat the smugglers who were selling tax-free tea to the colonists. Obviously the British government preferred to help the struggling East India Company than to see colonial smugglers profiting and using their newly gained financial power to sponsor Anti-British protests. Another reason was that this Act essentially gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea, which offended colonial merchants. During the time that the Tea Act was passed, many of the colonists were not loyalists, and chose not to buy from the East India Company. Information from Encyclopedia Britannica states that "In such cities as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston, tea agents resigned or cancelled orders, and merchants refused consignments" (Encyclopedia Britannica). On November 29, 1773, the first large-scale organized meeting took place at Faneuil Hall to discuss this “tea crisis.” This meeting was organized by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty, who were both run by Samuel Adams. The Sons of Liberty were a well-organized Patriot revolutionary organization that was established to undermine British rule in colonial America. At this meeting, it was decided that nobody was going to pay the tax on the shipment of …show more content…
The bravery and courage these men showed in so blatantly revolting against the British was extremely evident. They wanted to dress up as Mohawk Indians to show that they considered themselves as actual Americans and no longer considered themselves as British subjects. If they were caught dumping the tea into the Harbor, they would have been in serious trouble, and most likely tried and imprisoned. The fact that they were so fed up and knew that a change needed to occur, is why America is the way it is today. To Parliament, the Boston Tea Party confirmed Massachusetts’s role as the center of resistance to British rule. “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. No one died during the Boston Tea Party. There was no violence and no confrontation between the Patriots, the Tories and the British soldiers garrisoned in Boston” (Benjamin Carp). This could be because, despite the fact that they were wielding tomahawks, the Sons of Liberty were strictly business when it came to the tea. It took them all around 4 hours to unload all the tea, and they didn’t really touch much else on the ships and actually showed some respect to the ship owners, in this
One reason Parliament passed the Tea Act was to combat the smugglers who were selling tax-free tea to the colonists. Obviously the British government preferred to help the struggling East India Company than to see colonial smugglers profiting and using their newly gained financial power to sponsor Anti-British protests. Another reason was that this Act essentially gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea, which offended colonial merchants. During the time that the Tea Act was passed, many of the colonists were not loyalists, and chose not to buy from the East India Company. Information from Encyclopedia Britannica states that "In such cities as New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston, tea agents resigned or cancelled orders, and merchants refused consignments" (Encyclopedia Britannica). On November 29, 1773, the first large-scale organized meeting took place at Faneuil Hall to discuss this “tea crisis.” This meeting was organized by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Sons of Liberty, who were both run by Samuel Adams. The Sons of Liberty were a well-organized Patriot revolutionary organization that was established to undermine British rule in colonial America. At this meeting, it was decided that nobody was going to pay the tax on the shipment of …show more content…
The bravery and courage these men showed in so blatantly revolting against the British was extremely evident. They wanted to dress up as Mohawk Indians to show that they considered themselves as actual Americans and no longer considered themselves as British subjects. If they were caught dumping the tea into the Harbor, they would have been in serious trouble, and most likely tried and imprisoned. The fact that they were so fed up and knew that a change needed to occur, is why America is the way it is today. To Parliament, the Boston Tea Party confirmed Massachusetts’s role as the center of resistance to British rule. “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. No one died during the Boston Tea Party. There was no violence and no confrontation between the Patriots, the Tories and the British soldiers garrisoned in Boston” (Benjamin Carp). This could be because, despite the fact that they were wielding tomahawks, the Sons of Liberty were strictly business when it came to the tea. It took them all around 4 hours to unload all the tea, and they didn’t really touch much else on the ships and actually showed some respect to the ship owners, in this