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DECEMBER 16,
1773
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"Once vigorous measures
appear to be the only means left to bringing the Americans
to a due submission to the mother country, the colonies
will submit." -King George III |
On May 10, 1773,
the British parliament authorized the East India Co., which
faced bankruptcy due to corruption and mismanagement, to export
a half a million pounds of tea to the American colonies for the
purpose of selling it without imposing upon the company the
usual duties and tariffs. With these privileges, the company
could undersell American merchants and monopolize the colonial
tea trade. Not only did this action create an unfair commerce to
the merchants of the colonies but it proved to be the spark that
revived American passions about the issue of taxation without
representation. To fully understand the resentment of the
colonies to Great Britain and King George III, one must
understand that this was not the first time that the colonists
were treated unfairly. In previous years, the 13 colonies saw a
number of commercial tariffs including the Sugar Act of 1764,
which taxed sugar, coffee, and wine, the Stamp Act of 1765,
which put a tax on all printed matter, such as newspapers and
playing cards, and the Townshend Acts of 1767 which placed taxes
on items like glass, paints, paper, and tea. The Tea Act of 1773
was the last straw.
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"If our trade be taxed, why
not our lands, in short, everything we posses? They tax us
without having legal representation." -Samuel Adams |
Three ships from
London, the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the
Beaver, sailed into Boston Harbor from November 28th to
December 8, 1773. Loaded with tea from the East India Company,
they were all anchored at Griffin’s Wharf but were prevented
from unloading their cargo. Fearing that the tea would be seized
for failure to pay customs duties, and eventually become
available for sale, something had to be done. Demanding that the
tea be returned to where it came from or face retribution, the
Sons of Liberty, led by Samuel Adams began to meet to determine
the fate of the three cargo ships in the Boston harbor.
On the cold
evening of December 16, 1773, a large band of patriots,
disguised as Mohawk Indians, burst from the South Meeting House
with the spirit of freedom burning in their eyes. The patriots
headed towards Griffin's Wharf and the three ships. Quickly,
quietly, and in an orderly manner, the Sons of Liberty boarded
each of the tea ships. Once on board, the patriots went to work
striking the chests with axes and hatchets. Thousands of
spectators watched in silence. Only the sounds of ax blades
splitting wood rang out from Boston Harbor. Once the crates were
open, the patriots dumped the tea into the sea.
The silence was
broken only by the cry of "East Indian" as patriots caught
Charles
O'Conner filling the lining of his coat with tea. George Hewes
removed O'Connor's coat, threatened him with death if he
revealed the identity of any man present, and sent him scurrying
out of town. The patriots worked feverishly, fearing an attack by
Admiral Montague at any moment. By nine o'clock p.m., the Sons
of Liberty had emptied a total of 342 crates of tea into Boston
Harbor. Fearing any connection to their treasonous deed, the
patriots took off their shoes and shook them overboard. They
swept the ships' decks, and made each ship's first mate attest
that only the tea was damaged.
When all was
through, Lendall Pitts led the patriots from the wharf,
tomahawks and axes resting on their shoulders. A fife played as
they marched past the home where British Admiral Montague had
been spying on their work. Montague yelled as they past, "Well
boys, you have had a fine, pleasant evening for your Indian
caper, haven't you? But mind, you have got to pay the fiddler
yet!"
Montague's words
were to be an omen for the patriots. The party was indeed over
for Boston. |
