Huzzah! Get ready to celebrate!

It’s the 251st Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party! On December 16, 1773, a bunch of colonists who had it up to here with England dumped some tea into Boston Harbor and started a revolution. “No taxation without representation!” 

The tea dumping was organized by a political group called the Sons of Liberty. I mean, what a badass name. And the badass members included John Hancock, Sam Adams, and Paul Revere, to name a few. The Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The 342 chests equate to 45 tons of tea and took over three hours to accomplish. Three whole hours…I’m sure by the end, the tea-throwing lost its luster. Also, Benjamin Franklin insisted on paying back the company for the lost tea…Ben, you just lost all my respect. Go fly a kite.

The Sons of Liberty embodied the resiliency and strength of America at the time. The act of throwing the tea into the harbor was the ultimate way to stick it to the man in 1773. And to honor the day, I think we should all stick it to the man in our own personal way. One idea may be to stick soggy tea bags into your least favorite family member’s shoes. You could also walk up to your nemesis and tell them they have something in their teeth and then walk away. The Sons of Liberty will look proudly on you from above.

Boston Tea Party 251st Anniversary Commemoration

On December 16th, 2024, Revolutionary Spaces is commemorating the anniversary with its world-class reenactment of the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House.

Date: Monday, December 16, 2024. Doors Open: 5:00 PM; Reenactment Begins: 6:15 PM

• Location: Old South Meeting House | 310 Washington St., Boston, MA 02108

• Description: In Boston’s historic Old South Meeting House — the very gathering place where the historic protest against taxation without representation was ignited, attendees will watch as actors dressed in period costumes reprise the debate that led to the destruction of tea.

• Price: Starting at $20 – purchase your tickets here. 

History of the Boston Tea Party via History.com

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British East India Company into the harbor.

The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence.

Why Did the Boston Tea Party Happen?

In the 1760s, Britain was deep in debt, so the British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on American colonists to help pay those debts.

The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed colonists on virtually every piece of printed paper they used, from playing cards and business licenses to newspapers and legal documents. The Townshend Acts of 1767 went a step further, taxing essentials such as paint, paper, glass, lead, and tea.

The British government felt the taxes were fair since much of its debt was earned fighting wars on the colonists’ behalf.  The colonists, however, disagreed. They were furious at being taxed without having any representation in Parliament and felt it was wrong for Britain to impose taxes on them to gain revenue.