John Dickinson, a Pennsylvania lawyer who gained fame as a protestor against British taxes, similarly attacked the East India Company. Instead, the demonstration happened out of timing. On December 16, 1773 the Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor as a protect against the Tea Act of 1773. After the British government in South Africa mandated that resident Indians had to be registered and fingerprinted under the Asiatic Registration Act of 1907, Mahatma Gandhi adopted the practice of satyagraha, or non-violent protest. Read also: 70 Pearl Harbor Facts to Remember about the Day of Infamy. Many were from Boston or the surrounding area, but some participants are documented to have come from as far away as Worcester in central Massachusetts and Maine. In response to the smuggling, in 1767 Parliament passed the Indemnity Act, which repealed the tax on tea and made British tea the same price as the Dutch. James Swan, an anti-slavery pamphleteer, was born in Fifeshire, Scotland. Discussing his historical inspiration, he wrote: “In our own nation, the Boston Tea Party represented a massive act of civil disobedience.” Three years later, Robert F Williams would recall the Tea Party to rally more violent action on behalf of African-American civil rights: “Burn, baby, burn.”. The Boston Tea Party was the first significant act of defiance by American colonists. To raise cane and process sugar, West Indian planters relied on the labour of African slaves. After testing the operation with weights, Heter and his colleagues enlisted an older beaver named Geronimo for a few live trials. Although 342 chests of tea were thrown into the sea, this small amount was certainly not enough to make the whole harbor tea-flavored. What better way to blunt the sting of this epithet than to assume an Indian disguise? Most Americans say that the Boston Tea Party was the first unofficial declaration of independence when a group of renegades dumped the beloved tea of Britain’s King George into the sea to protest a tax hike. This was in fact 46 tonnes of tea worth more than £9,659. Prior to the protest, Bostonians already intimidated customs and importer offers by throwing rocks and threatening tea consignees. For tickets ranging from $21- $30, you’d get to experience exquisite historical details of the event, interactive exhibits, live reenactments, and access to a tearoom. While it’s true that American colonists destroyed at least 92,000 pounds of tea varieties, there were no reported repercussions of pollution in the harbor after the protest happened. The destruction of the tea was a very costly blow to the British. Required fields are marked The difference is that all of those other import taxes were lifted in 1770, except for tea, a pointed reminder of the King’s control over his far-off subjects. On the night of the Boston Tea Party, three ships that had sailed from London carrying cargoes of British East India Company tea were moored in Boston Harbor. Some of it was legally bought, and the rest was smuggled to avoid British duties. John Adams, during a visit to John Hancock in 1771, recalled that he drank green tea probably from Holland. “At the time, a tonne of tea cost about the same as a two-story house." Nicholas Campbell hailed from the island of Malta. The Tea Party, itself, didn’t incite revolution. John Adams visited John Hancock in 1771 and recorded that he drank "Green Tea, from Holland I hope, but don't know." They were branded traitors for remaining loyal to their king and fighting for what they believed in. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Some believed that the protest was selfish, which somewhat rang true when people who did not participate had to pay the fine issued by the British government. While it’s true that American colonists destroyed at least 92,000 pounds of tea varieties, there were no reported repercussions of. Hundreds. Tories, Loyalists, Royalists, or King’s men. Read also: Facts About 50 Major Events That Happened In 2009. Additionally, they also transported Hyson and Singlo teas, which were both green teas from the Chinese province of Anhui. Colonists believed that America would suffer the same fate in the hands of the EIC. Otherwise, the cargo would be seized and auctioned off. Indeed, in 1767, parliament passed a Revenue Act that collected a duty on all tea shipped to the American colonies. The smuggled tea became more expensive than the British East India Company tea. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The history of the Boston Tea Party belongs not just to the United States of America, but to the world. Older individuals often become dangerously belligerent ... Horses and mules become spooky and quarrelsome when loaded with a struggling, malodorous pair of live beavers.”. This just goes to show that the tea did not come in blocks or bricks. Truly, this is one of the most inspiring Boston Tea Party facts. Where did … Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat: what happened next? Gage said that their offenses were too ‘flagitious’ nature. Camellia sinensis grew among the foothills of the high mountains that separated China from the Indian subcontinent.