The historically significant event of the Boston Tea Party took place on 16th December in the year of 1773. The American colonists broke the tea chests brought to Boston harbor by Britain's East India Company and dumped them into the harbor. This incident is referred to as the Boston Tea Party. According to many historians, this Tea Party of Boston gave birth to the American Revolution.
Background of Boston Tea Party
The Britain's East India Company was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1773. This bankruptcy happened since accumulation of large stocks of tea by the Company could not be sold in England. To save the Company the Britain government sanctioned the Tea Act of 1773. As a result of this Act, the East India Company got the right to export tea products directly to the colonies. According to this Act, the Company did not need to pay any taxes to the colonies. This decision created dissatisfaction among the people especially among the colonial merchants, who were earning handsomely by acting as middlemen before the enactment of the Tea Act.
|
The East India Company was not allowed to land their cargoes on the colonial ports by the different colonies. Apart from Boston, the other colonial ports forced the agents of the company to take back the consignment of tea to England. With the support of the royal governor, the East India agents in Boston continued with their cargo landing in the colony.
The colonial merchants of Boston acted differently to express their dissent at the entry of the merchandise of East India Company in Boston. The local patriots guided by Samuel Adams tried to send the three ships back from the harbor. But, they did not find any success. An outstanding drama followed this event. Fifty men of three companies masqueraded themselves as Mohawk Indians on the evening of December 16, 1773 and boarded the three ships. These men broke the tea chests, and plunged them into the harbor.
Gradually, as this news of the Boston Tea Party spread, all other seaports were influenced by this incident and tried to resist in their own way.
|
