December 16, 2019: On December 16, 1773—246 Years Ago Today—American colonists protested against Taxation Without Representation in an event known to history as the Boston Tea Party.
That momentous 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.”[1]
On that day, colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped 340 chests of British East India Company tea into the harbor—more than 92,000 pounds of tea. In today’s money, that was roughly $1.7 million worth of tea. However, no damage was done to the ships, other items onboard, or the crews.[2][3]
That protest and the British response set in motion a series of events leading to the American War of Independence. Just over a year later, the British marched to Lexington and Concord hoping to capture two key leaders of the rebellion--Sam Adams and John Hancock. Instead, the shot heard ‘round the world was fired on April 19, 1775, and the war began.[4] Two-and-a-half years after the Boston Tea Party, the Continental Congress formally declared the new nation’s independence from Great Britain.
|
