Primary Source Analysis: John Andrews to William Barrell, Letter regarding the Boston Tea Party (1773)
Context: Since the beginning of the 17th century tea was being regularly imported to the American Colonies by the East India Company. An estimated 1.2 million pounds of tea were consumed by the Americans each year (Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum 2016, Boston Tea Party Facts: http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-facts). Britain realized they could increase their revenue of the tea trade by imposing taxes onto the American colonies. This caused a lucrative increase on tea prices and in response American colonist began an industry of smuggling tea. The smuggling of tea inflicted the British tea trade tremendously so in hopes …show more content…
American colonists became outraged over the tax and made smuggling tea even more expensive then the tea received from the East India Company. Tensions with Britain and the Americans were on an all-time high and on November 28th 1773 the first of three British ships carrying 340 chest of tea arrived in Boston looking to unload their cargo. Many citizens wanted the ships and the tea sent back to England without the payment of tax, but Governor Thomas Hutchinson wanted the tax paid and did not want to allow the ships to leave until the tea was completely unloaded. John Andrews a British Merchant living in Boston would write one of the most import eye witness accounts in a letter to his brother-in-law; William Barrell of Philadelphia. In this letter John Andrews describes the …show more content…
This meeting was to decide what would be done about the tea tax and it was held on December 16th 1773 at the Old South Meeting House. Francis Rotch along with Samuel Adams and thousands of people from Boston and the surrounding areas gathered in hopes of gaining the permission for the Dartmouth to leave Boston without unloading the East India Company tea cargo. Hutchinson denied their request and the peoples demands were not met. This caused and outrage among the American Colonist, words resonated throughout the meeting house for the Sons of Liberty to carry out their rebellious plan of attack. “They muster 'd I 'm told, upon Fort Hill, to the number of about two hundred, and proceeded, two by two, to Griffin 's wharf, where Hall, Bruce, and Coffin lay, each with 114 chests of the ill fated article on board…” Andrews describes here the amount of participants gathering on Fort hill and marching down like soldiers ready to attack the ships which he refers to by the captain’s last names. Andrews then goes on to describes that they dressed themselves as “…Indians from Narragansett” they did not however dress like actual Indians with headdresses and authentic regalia, but that they were “cloath 'd in Blankets with the heads muffled, and copper color 'd countenances, being, each arm 'd with a hatchet or axe, and pair pistols, nor was their
Context: Since the beginning of the 17th century tea was being regularly imported to the American Colonies by the East India Company. An estimated 1.2 million pounds of tea were consumed by the Americans each year (Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum 2016, Boston Tea Party Facts: http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-facts). Britain realized they could increase their revenue of the tea trade by imposing taxes onto the American colonies. This caused a lucrative increase on tea prices and in response American colonist began an industry of smuggling tea. The smuggling of tea inflicted the British tea trade tremendously so in hopes …show more content…
American colonists became outraged over the tax and made smuggling tea even more expensive then the tea received from the East India Company. Tensions with Britain and the Americans were on an all-time high and on November 28th 1773 the first of three British ships carrying 340 chest of tea arrived in Boston looking to unload their cargo. Many citizens wanted the ships and the tea sent back to England without the payment of tax, but Governor Thomas Hutchinson wanted the tax paid and did not want to allow the ships to leave until the tea was completely unloaded. John Andrews a British Merchant living in Boston would write one of the most import eye witness accounts in a letter to his brother-in-law; William Barrell of Philadelphia. In this letter John Andrews describes the …show more content…
This meeting was to decide what would be done about the tea tax and it was held on December 16th 1773 at the Old South Meeting House. Francis Rotch along with Samuel Adams and thousands of people from Boston and the surrounding areas gathered in hopes of gaining the permission for the Dartmouth to leave Boston without unloading the East India Company tea cargo. Hutchinson denied their request and the peoples demands were not met. This caused and outrage among the American Colonist, words resonated throughout the meeting house for the Sons of Liberty to carry out their rebellious plan of attack. “They muster 'd I 'm told, upon Fort Hill, to the number of about two hundred, and proceeded, two by two, to Griffin 's wharf, where Hall, Bruce, and Coffin lay, each with 114 chests of the ill fated article on board…” Andrews describes here the amount of participants gathering on Fort hill and marching down like soldiers ready to attack the ships which he refers to by the captain’s last names. Andrews then goes on to describes that they dressed themselves as “…Indians from Narragansett” they did not however dress like actual Indians with headdresses and authentic regalia, but that they were “cloath 'd in Blankets with the heads muffled, and copper color 'd countenances, being, each arm 'd with a hatchet or axe, and pair pistols, nor was their