On the night of December 16, 1773, three British merchant ships lay alongside Griffin’s Wharf in the city of Boston. They carried cargoes of tea packed in wooden cases.
Rain had fallen throughout the day, but now the sky was clear and crowded with stars. Suddenly, the sparkle of the stars was joined by the yellow glow of lanterns swinging along the wharf. Holding lanterns high were some strangely dressed marchers. Blankets hung from their shoulders. Single feathers crowned their heads. They carried axes and hatchets.This seems to be an Indian attack. But these men are really Boston colonists in disguise. They are giving early American history one of it memorable nights – the night of the Boston Tea Party.
Their outfits were means to keep their identities a secret from the Boston authorities, who would be infuriated by what was going to happen and would surely want to take revenge for it.
Behind the disguised men hurried a crowd of people out watch the coming adventure – an adventure that would be remembered for centuries as the Boston Tea Party.
The Boston Tea Party was the result of years of growing trouble between Britain’s King George III and his American colonies. Much of the conflict sprang from taxes that he and his parliament demanded of the colonists.
One of the most hated taxes of all was contained in a law passed in 1767. It was a tariff (a special tax) that Americans had to pay when buying various goods shipped from England. Chief among these goods was tea. The tariff angered Americans everywhere because tea was their favorite beverage. They bought tons of it every year. The tax would cost them dearly.
Also, the tariff was of a special nature. Most taxes were charged to business firms. But this one was charged to the people. To the Americans, this was an outrage. The king had no right to tax them directly. They were not even represented in parliament. No one spoke for them when laws were being passed.
The Boston Tea Party
