December 16 is Tea Party Day

Today is the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, a band of patriots called the "Sons of Liberty," disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded three ships and threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor. Tea was heavily taxed and had become a symbol of British oppression. Earlier that year, the men of Marlborough, Massachusetts, declared in writing: "Death is more eligible than slavery. A free-born people are not required by the religion of Jesus Christ to submit to tyranny, but may make use of such power as God has given them to recover and support their liberties. ... [we] implore the Ruler above the skies that He would bare His arm in defense of His Church and people, and let Israel go." From Faith2Action newsletter.

Of course, the story was much bigger than tea in the harbor. England had ignored laws which forbade the colonists to trade with any other country, resulting in great wealth for New England. When George III came to the throne in 1763 and ships of war showed up to enforce the old laws, and soldiers began to break into businesses and homes, the citizens protested. The cost of the wars with France were enormous and since it was to protect the colonies, George decided the Americans could pay with new taxes. This was done without the people's consent--a basic principle of English law. A Stamp Act was passed requiring paid stamps (a tax) on documents and newspapers. The "Sons of Liberty" pulled down a building were the stamps were sold and hung and burned a stuffed figure of one of the sellers and other riots followed. The Stamp Act was repealed.

In 1767 new taxes were levid on glass, paper, paints and tea, to pay for the king's soldiers in the colonies, judges and other officers who answered to the king not the people, and to line the pockets of leading citizens so they would be loyal to the king. In answer to the new taxes, the people agreed not to import these items, "eat nothing, drink nothing, wear nothing" from England. So the taxes were removed--all except on TEA. The cost wasn't the issue--the price was made very low--it was a tax to show the American people that they couldn't thumb their noses at the king.

From my grandmother's American history textbook, "The Leading Facts of American History," by D. H. Montgomery, Boston: Ginn & Co., 1891.