Dump it in: 249th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

Huzzah!

It’s the 249th 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!” 

To celebrate, the Boston Harbor Tea Party Museum is offering free admission all day from 10am-4pm.

Head to Griffins Whaft and throw some tea in the harbor!

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 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.