Boston+Tea+Party

MHS8
 * Boston Tea Party**


 * Read through these items and do your reaction based upon them, rather than using the material from the Massachusetts Historical Society**:

Article about Boston Tea Party (in Finding Dulcinea) http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/On-this-Day-Guests-Arrive-for-the-Boston-Tea-Party.html

Eyewitness account by George Hewes : http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/teaparty.htm

Current Tea Party movement http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_Party_protests

The use of "tea party" in political symbolism http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/tea-partying-like-its-1860/

"Is the Tea Party Over?" //NY Times// article by Bill Keller. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opinion/is-the-tea-party-over.html?hp

First, check out this context (from the Committees of Correspondence) segment:

http://www.masshist.org/revolution/doc-viewer.php?old=1&mode=nav&item_id=480

"impending evil" By the summer of 1773, a new challenge is looming on the colonial horizon. In May, Parliament passes the Tea Act, a bill intended to assist the failing East India Company, raise revenue, and reiterate Parliament's authority over the colonies. As news of the act reaches America in the fall, patriots spring into action. Tea agents are selected in four colonial ports, including Boston, where members of the Sons of Liberty and the committee of correspondence endeavor to force the selected agents to resign. In November, an incoming vessel brings news that ships bearing East India Company tea will soon be arriving in Boston. On the afternoon of 22 November, the committee of correspondence meets at Faneuil Hall with its counterparts from the neighboring towns of Roxbury, Dorchester, Brookline, and Cambridge. Together they draft a circular letter that makes clear their thoughts on Parliament's latest scheme.

Questions to Consider

1. Who are the "remorseless enemies" accused of invading colonists' rights?

2. Why would the arrival of tea to be sold by the East India Company be "most fatal" to colonists' "liberties?"

3. What might be the consequence (according to the authors) if the colonies acknowledge Parliament's right to tax them?

4. Why was a postscript added to the letter? Who authored the postscript?

5. How are colonists expected to pay for the tea? Why might this be a problem?

Further Exploration

6. Investigate the history of the East India Company. What part did they play in Parliament’s decision to pass the Tea Act?



Now, on to the segment about the Boston Tea Party

http://www.masshist.org/revolution/teaparty.php

Rowe's Revolution "A Number of People appearing in Indian Dresses went on board the three Ships Hall Bruce & Coffin they opend the Hatches hoisted out the Tea & flung it overboard....Tis said near two thousand People were present at this affair." Diary of John Rowe, 16 December 1773

The Boston Tea Party

Introduction

On 5 March 1770, Parliament rescinded the Townshend duties on four of the five commodities that had been taxed; the duty on tea remained in force. Outraged patriots sought to shore up sagging efforts to boycott tea by appealing to merchants (nonimportation) and the citizenry (nonconsumption). But people loved their tea, and their resolve weakened.

In the spring of 1773, the East India Company had a large amount of surplus tea on hand. To aid the failing company, thwart the smuggling of Dutch tea, and reassert its authority to levy taxes on the colonies, Parliament authorized the Tea Act on 10 May 1773. Tea sold in America would carry no duty for the East India Company; instead, the tea would be taxed at the point of entry in colonial ports. Consignees, or special agents, were appointed in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Charleston to receive and sell the tea.

In the fall of 1773, as newspapers publish the particulars of the East India Company plan, colonists learn that the tea is coming. Protests soon circulate. Writing out of Philadelphia, "Scaevola" rebukes the tea agents, calling them political bombadiers. Refusing a summons to resign their commissions, Boston's tea agents counter that they are the true sons of liberty. Demonstrating its decided disagreement, a patriot mob storms Richard Clarke's King Street shop on 3 November.

Boston's consignees petition the governor to safeguard the tea once it arrives, but with British forces confined to Castle William since the unfortunate events of the Boston Massacre, Hutchinson is powerless to oblige. The streets belong to the opposition.

On Sunday, 28 November, the Dartmouth, carrying 114 chests of tea, arrives in Boston Harbor. A meeting, open to all Bostonians and anyone from neighboring towns who chooses to attend (a group identified as the Body), is called at Faneuil Hall. When the crowd swells, it adjourns to Old South Meeting House. The Body speaks, demanding that the tea be returned, and the assembly appoints a watch of 25 men to guard Griffin's Wharf.

From Philadelphia and New York, news arrives that anyone attempting to land the tea in those ports should beware an unwelcome visit. By 2 December, consignees have resigned in three port towns, and the taunt goes forth: Will you shrink at Boston?

By 15 December, the Eleanor and the Beaver, also both laden with tea, arrive at Griffin's Wharf. The law is clear: if the duty on the Dartmouth's tea is not paid by 17 December, the customs officer is authorized to seize the ship and its cargo. The governor, the ships' owners, and the tea consignees all refuse to return the tea to England. Voting at a 16 December meeting at Old South, the Body resolves to prevent the East India tea from being landed, stored, sold, or consumed. At the conclusion of the meeting, the crowd streams out onto the street, chasing 30 to 60 men dressed as Indians down to Griffin's Wharf. In what John Adams calls an intrepid "exertion of popular power," the men proceed to dump 342 chests of tea into the sea.

Governor Hutchinson is incensed, calling the dumping of the tea high treason. Energized by their victory, boisterous patriots urge Bostonians, "keep up your courage." When news of the event arrives there, New York celebrates Boston's Indians, as does Philadelphia. Boston, once suspect, is now praised for its steadfast opposition to tyrannical English policies.

Not all, however, applaud the Destruction of the Tea (later designated the Boston Tea Party). At the end of January, the town of Marshfield urges good and loyal subjects to speak up against the Bostonians' unlawful act. Still, in March, Indians are found destroying the tea—again. And in April, another episode raises questions whether the perpetrators are good Indians or bad Indians.

In February, the tea ship captains arrive in England and are summoned to testify before the Privy Council; since they are not able to identify individuals responsible for the destruction of the tea, the government decides to punish the entire town of Boston. Until the East India Company is reimbursed for its loss, the port of Boston will be closed.

List of supporting documents:

A. The Tea Is Coming

The Townshend duty on tea, which had not been revoked in 1770 as had that on other commodities, continues to irk the colonists. Their love for the beverage, though, is largely satisfied. In America and elsewhere, by means both legal and illegal, the Dutch are undercutting their competitors; by the spring of 1773, England's East India Company has amassed 17 million pounds of tea. Eager to prop up the debt-ridden company, Parliament passes the Tea Act on 10 May. The company, freed of its obligations to pay customs duties, will export a portion of its surplus commodity to New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, and Boston, where it will be sold through designated agents. Colonial consumers, the bill's authors reason, will be pleased to have their tea at bargain prices. They will barely notice that the Townshend duty remains in force. News of the act breaks in colonial newspapers in the fall of 1773.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Massachusetts Gazette; and the Boston Post-Boy and Advertiser, 4 - 11 October 1773.

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think that captains are refusing to transport the tea?

2. What is the New York writer's opinion of the Tea Act? Support your conclusions with evidence from the document.

Further Exploration

3. Who is identified as the mastermind of the plan to export the tea to America? Research the biography of this individual and write a paragraph about him.

B. "You Are ... Political Bombadiers"

Colonial activists focus attention on the East India Company tea agents. If they can be cajoled or intimidated, as the stamp masters had been in 1765, then this tax, too, may be revoked. This appeal, written by Philadelphia merchant Thomas Mifflin, an outspoken opponent of the Stamp Act and proponent of nonimportation, is ultimately successful. Swayed by the patriots' logic and by associated mass protests, Philadelphia's tea agents refuse shipment on the tea bound for their port. Mifflin's warnings about tyranny and monopoly echo throughout the colonies.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, 25 October 1773.

Questions to Consider

1. Mifflin's letter is a form of persuasive writing. What arguments does he make? What emotions does he invoke? What point(s) do you find most persuasive?

2. Mifflin argues that the tea tax is more dangerous than the stamp tax. Why does he think so? Cite your evidence.

Further Exploration

3. Does the phrase "By uniting we stand--by dividing we fall" sound familiar to you? Where else have you heard this phrase?

4. The address is signed "Scaevola." Research this figure and report back to the class about his exploits. Speculate about why Mifflin adopted this name as his pseudonym?

C. The "True Sons of Liberty" Weigh In

Two of Boston's appointed tea agent firms, Richard Clarke & Sons and Thomas & Elisha Hutchinson, are enemies of nonimportation. The Hutchinsons, sons of Massachusetts' governor, have forthrightly imported dutied tea, boldly violating their fellow merchants' agreements over the course of two years. Despised by Boston's patriots, the tea agents receive a late night summons on 2 November 1773: at noon the next day, they are to appear at the Liberty Tree and resign their commissions. The tea agents decline the invitation. Instead, they--or others acting on their behalf--issue a broadside defending their rights. Their logic does not forestall a visit from the mob, which storms Clarke's King Street shop, sending the tea agents fleeing for safety.

Questions to Consider

1. What commercial arguments does the broadside advance? What are its constitutional arguments?

2. How would you describe the tone of the broadside?

Further Exploration

3. What is the significance of the pen name used on the broadside? Explain.

4. On 25 October 1773, Thomas Mifflin, writing as Scaevola, comments on the tea tax in an article published in The Boston Gazette, and Country Journal (Click here to read the article.) Compare Mifflin's arguments to those presented here by the "True Sons of Liberty." Which do you find most persuasive? Why?

D. The Body Speaks

The Body Speaks Throughout November, the town's patriots have been meeting, writing, and agitating about the tea. On 28 November 1773, the Dartmouth enters Boston Harbor carrying 114 chests of the East India import. Matters are at an impasse: if returned to England, the tea and the vessel carrying it may be confiscated; if the Townshend duty is not paid by 17 December, the customs collector can impound the tea; the patriots will not allow it to be warehoused; and the Massachusetts legislature has ignored requests to safeguard it. Under the circumstances, the tea agents think it wise to seek shelter among the king's troops at Castle William. Patriot leaders call an unofficial, supra-town meeting, referred to as the Body. Over the next two days, it grapples with the thorny dilemma.

Questions to Consider

1. Create a detailed timeline of the proceedings of the 29-30 November tea meetings.

2. Identify the role of the following individuals: Jonathan Williams; the "watch"; John Singleton Copley; Captain James Hall; Richard Clarke; Francis Rotch.

Further Exploration

3. Find information about Faneuil Hall and Old South Meetinghouse. Locate the two buildings on a contemporary map of Boston.

E. Beware an Unwelcome Visit

In the waning weeks of 1773, colonial newspapers are filled with talk of the despised East India tea and of Parliament's treachery. The papers also communicate threats. Anyone thinking he might profit from the tea or help in its landing should think again. In New York and in Philadelphia groups are poised to exact vengeance.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper (that features both articles), please see the online display of the The Massachusetts Gazette and Boston Post-Boy and Advertiser, 6-13 December 1773.

Questions to Consider

1. How do the New York avengers identify themselves? How do the Philadelphia avengers identify themselves?

2. Who are the objects of the New York threats? Why? Who are the objects of the Philadelphia threats? Why?

3. Look at the date of the New York threat and the date of the Boston Gazette carrying it. Can you draw any conclusions about the events in Boston forthcoming on 16 December?

4. Why are the merchants in Philadelphia opposed to the landing of the East India tea?

F. Will You Shrink at Boston?

By early December 1773, tea agents in New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston have all resigned their commissions. When the duty goes unpaid in Charleston, its customs agent seizes the East India tea; tea ships never enter the other two ports. As Boston's tea agents stubbornly refuse to resign their commissions, patriots in Philadelphia doubt Bostonians' resolve. Philadelphia and New York merchants have long satisfied their local markets with smuggled Dutch tea, but Boston merchants have never successfully tapped that illicit trade. Instead, whether overtly or covertly, they have trafficked in the dutied English tea. Will they now stand idly by as the East India tea is landed?

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, 13 December 1773.

Questions to Consider

1. Review the roles of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia in nonimportation.

2. Why do Philadelphia patriots doubt Bostonians' resolve? What are their specific accusations?

3. Why are Boston merchants sending boxes of brickbats to London? What are brickbats? Be sure to explore the metaphorical meaning of the term as well.

G. An Intrepid Exertion of Popular Power

From the Adams Family Papers The transcription of this diary entry is featured on the Adams Family Papers: An Electronic Archive website. [NOTE THIS ARCHIVE] Online display of the entry for 17 December 1773 in diary 19, page 28.

On 17 December, John Adams opens his diary and writes out his thoughts on the events of the previous evening, including his view of their causes and likely repercussions. Adams, a well-respected attorney, is a devoted patriot. He is also, however, committed to the rule of law, as is evident in his defense of the English soldiers in the Boston Massacre trial. Indeed, Francis Rotch, in trying to determine his rights and responsibilities in the prickly case of returning the Dartmouth to London, has consulted Adams.

Questions to Consider

1. John Adams lives in Braintree, but he also does business in Boston. Where does it appear that he was on the evening of 16 December?

2. Who does Adams blame for the destruction of the tea? How does he characterize the actions of the patriots that resulted in that destruction?

3. What response does Adams anticipate from the ministry in London? What are his fears?

4. Do you identify any bias in Adams' remarks? If so, specify it, being sure to offer evidence for your opinion. Do you think Adams would have described his response to the incident differently in a letter to his friend Jonathan Sewell, who had loyalist sympathies?

H. 342 Chests of Tea into the Sea

News of events in Boston on the evening of Thursday, 16 December, spreads quickly by letter and by word of mouth. On Monday, 20 December, the Boston Gazette describes the 15 and 16 December meetings of the Body and what transpired in their aftermath. All English soldiers having been removed to Castle William in the days following the Boston Massacre, Boston's waterfront is well within the patriots' control. Meanwhile, tea is continuing to arrive at colonial ports, and a lively public debate is stirring deep into the countryside.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, 20 December 1773.

Questions to Consider

1. Do you think that this report offers a fair and unbiased account of the events? Why or why not? Be sure to give evidence for your conclusion.

Further Exploration

2. Comparing this account with the minutes of the meetings of the Body on 15 and 16 December, create a detailed timeline of the events of those two days.

3. The report characterizes the owners of the ships as "well pleased" with the turn of events. Do you think that characterization is accurate? Why or why not? Look beyond the news account to gather your evidence.

I. Bostonians, Keep Up Your Courage

The destruction of the tea is "but an attack upon property," as John Adams notes, but he worries that "another similar exertion of popular power may produce the destruction of lives." Patriot agitators anticipate the same possibility, but, eager to capitalize on the drama of the events of 16 December, they urge Bostonians not to shy away from a firm and courageous defense of their rights. In terms reminiscent of Boston Massacre verse, the author of this broadside once again raises the specter of martyrs, graves, and blood-bought liberties.

Questions to Consider

1. Who are the patriots seeking to impress? Who do they hope will understand their commitment to liberty?

2. Discuss the imagery of the verse. Comment specifically on the words blood, sons, martyrs, slaves.

3. Explain lines 3 and 4: "Though you were INDIANS, come from distant shores, / Like MEN you acted / not like savage Moors."

4. Explain the first two lines of the concluding stanza: "Let us with hearts of steel now stand the task, / Throw off all darksome ways, nor wear a Mask."

J. New York Celebrates Boston's Indians

On Friday, 17 December, a messenger is dispatched from Boston. He informs New York's patriots that Bostonians have not shrunk from their resolve; they have blocked the landing of the tea. Although the news account does not give the messenger's name, we know from a 1798 letter he wrote to Jeremy Belknap, corresponding secretary of the Massachusetts Historical Society, that he is Paul Revere, employed by the Boston selectmen. His news is subsequently carried to Philadelphia, where it is enthusiastically received. Just a few days later, Philadelphia patriots gather to resist landing the tea carried by the Polly. Its captain, his return financed by Philadelphia's erstwhile tea consignees, sets sail for England on 28 December.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, 3 January 1774.

Questions to Consider

1. Why is a messenger sent to New York? How do you think he travels?

2. What news does the messenger bring from New York? How does that city respond to Boston's news?

Further Exploration

3. Trace Revere's probable route on a contemporary map of the northern colonies. Imagine that you are Revere, taking this trip in the winter months of 1773. Write a short essay that describes your trip. What do you see as you travel? Where will you stop to eat and sleep? What thoughts and emotions do you carry with you?

K. Good and Loyal Subjects Speak Up

Throughout Massachusetts, towns convene meetings to record and communicate their citizens' sentiments about the destruction of the tea. Under the guidance of patriots like Samuel Adams, town committees of correspondence circulate news and opinions to their peers in other towns. Official town meetings are also called into session to instruct representatives how to voice the concerns of their fellow townsmen to the legislature (the General Assembly, the lower house of the General Court).

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Massachusetts Gazette; and the Boston Post-Boy and Advertiser, 7 February 1774.

Questions to Consider

1. Explain the process by which Marshfield's residents make their views known.

2. Marshfield's representative is instructed to resist one possible action by the Massachusetts legislature and to urge another. Explain those two instructions.

3. Describe what happened at Plymouth. What view of events is held by those voting in Marshfield's town meeting?

L. Destroying the Tea—Again

The resolve of Boston's patriots is tested once more in March 1774. The Fortune enters Boston Harbor, its owner unaware that the brig carries 28.5 chests of tea destined for some independent merchants but subject to the Townshend duty nonetheless. Although the Fortune's owners are eager for the brig and its cargo to return to London, customs collector Richard Harrison once again refuses to grant permission for the vessel to depart.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, 14 March 1774.

Questions to Consider

1. The author of this news report is playful. How does he twist facts? Why does he do so?

2. The report ends on a hopeful note. What is its message?

M. Good Indians, Bad Indians

Tea has become an accursed commodity by 1774. Those who serve and drink it, no less than those who import it, are reviled. While they have been urged not to drink the tea since the imposition of the Townshend duties in 1767--when young ladies had been instructed to "Throw aside your Bohea and your Green Hyson Tea"--the colonists are often forgiven their lapses. After visiting John Hancock's home in February 1771, John Adams hopes that the tea he drinks there is Dutch and smuggled. In the wake of the events of 16 December 1773, however, any contact with the "pernicious weed" becomes grounds for verbal, and even physical, attacks.

To examine all four pages of this newspaper, please see the online display of The Massachusetts Gazette; and the Boston Post-Boy and Advertiser, 4 April 1774.

Questions to Consider

1. What is a "paper visage"?

2. Why does the crowd attack Jones's inn? Do you think the attack is justified? Why or why not?

3. Characterize the attack's participants. Be sure to ground your descriptions in the facts as set forth. Draw an opinion of these individuals from your characterization.

Further Exploration

4. Consider alternative approaches to the issue before the town. Write a paragraph outlining one of your approaches and why you think it is better or worse than the one taken in Weston.