Boston Tea Party: Difference between revisions
imported>1857a mNo edit summary |
imported>The Supreme Argonian No edit summary |
||
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
Additionally, this protest against the Tea Act was one of the key events that ignited the [[American Revolutionary War]]. | Additionally, this protest against the Tea Act was one of the key events that ignited the [[American Revolutionary War]]. | ||
==[[Animus]] Database== | |||
Date: December 16, 1773 | |||
This was one of the key events leading up to the American Revolution. Protesters (some dressed in faux-Native garb) boarded 3 ships docked in Boston Harbour and threw their cargoes of tea overboard to protest British taxes. Throwing tea into a harbour probably broke a world record for making the biggest cup of tea ever, though if there is one statement guaranteed to rile a Briton, it is the unnecessary waste of perfectly good tea. | |||
So - simple enough, but the lead up is a bit more complex. The East India Company actually wanted to sell the tea to all of the colonies at a cut-rate to boost its flagging profits. However, taxes on the tea would have to be paid to the British the instant the tea was unloaded in Boston harbour. And the Colonies had a long-standing problem with paying taxes to Britain when they had no representatives in British parliament. Offering discount tea while still collecting the tax on it was viewed by the Colonists as a trick to get them to agree to parliament's authority over them. | |||
Protesters turned back ships carrying tea to New York and Philadelphia, and if that had happened in Boston, the problem would have been solved. Unfortunately, the governor of Boston wouldn't let the tea ships leave once they were in the harbour. I guess he figured the public would come 'round eventually and just pay the tax - because everyone likes a bargain - but that never happened. In fact, protests got bigger and bigger until a meeting at the Old South Meeting House. A mob broke away from the crowd there and dumped the tea, solving the impasse, and wasting the tea. | |||
(I shuddered as I wrote that) | |||
The British reacted to the protest by sending British troops under Thomas Gage to occupy the town. They also closed the Boston Harbour, part of several laws they created to punish the Colonists that were dubbed the "Coercive Acts". Of course, these laws didn't gain them any sympathy with the Colonists - and led fairly directly to the outbreak of the Revolution. | |||
Tea is important business | |||
==Reference== | ==Reference== | ||
Revision as of 02:07, 5 February 2018
The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the British Government in Boston, Massachusetts, in reaction to the Tea Act of 1773.
The Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton and the Sons of Liberty organized the destruction of the East India Company's tea for two separate reasons. Connor's incentive was to stunt William Johnson's income, whereas the Sons of Liberty's aim was to send a message of resistance to England.
Organization
After learning of Johnson's plan to buy out the Kanien'kehá:ka land on which his village stood, Connor met with Samuel Adams to discuss a way to destroy the Templar's means of finance.
With an idea already in mind, Adams discussed with Connor the plan to dump British tea into the Boston Harbor. The reasoning behind this was to send a message of revolt to England. Fortunately for the Sons of Liberty, Connor had his own agenda to rid the ships of their tea, and so Adams was able to persuade the Assassin to join them on the raid.
Destruction of tea
- "Best we get out of here, eh?"
- ―Stephane to Connor after the last crate was dumped.[src]
At night, the Sons of Liberty and a group of Patriot protesters made their way towards the wharf disguised as Kanien'kehá:ka warriors. Upon arrival, the disguised Sons of Liberty and other participants boarded the three ships containing the tea and began to dump all of the crates into the harbor. Surely enough, as crowds began to gather around the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver, British regulars noticed the dispelling of the precious cargo and decided to act.
With this in mind, a group of regulars attempted to board the ships to prevent any more tea from being destroyed. However, Connor was present during the event, and assisted the Sons of Liberty by not only dumping tea, but by also fending off the British.
Once all of the attacking regulars were successfully stopped, Connor was presented the last crate of tea by the newly recruited Assassin Stephane Chapheau, and promptly dumped it in the water whilst staring at William Johnson, Charles Lee, and John Pitcairn, who stood by in the distance.
Aftermath
With the disguises working efficiently, the British were unable to charge the Sons of Liberty with an act of treason due to insufficient evidence. Due to this, 90,000 pounds of tea was destroyed without any of the "Mohawks" ending up in jail.
Additionally, this protest against the Tea Act was one of the key events that ignited the American Revolutionary War.
Animus Database
Date: December 16, 1773 This was one of the key events leading up to the American Revolution. Protesters (some dressed in faux-Native garb) boarded 3 ships docked in Boston Harbour and threw their cargoes of tea overboard to protest British taxes. Throwing tea into a harbour probably broke a world record for making the biggest cup of tea ever, though if there is one statement guaranteed to rile a Briton, it is the unnecessary waste of perfectly good tea. So - simple enough, but the lead up is a bit more complex. The East India Company actually wanted to sell the tea to all of the colonies at a cut-rate to boost its flagging profits. However, taxes on the tea would have to be paid to the British the instant the tea was unloaded in Boston harbour. And the Colonies had a long-standing problem with paying taxes to Britain when they had no representatives in British parliament. Offering discount tea while still collecting the tax on it was viewed by the Colonists as a trick to get them to agree to parliament's authority over them. Protesters turned back ships carrying tea to New York and Philadelphia, and if that had happened in Boston, the problem would have been solved. Unfortunately, the governor of Boston wouldn't let the tea ships leave once they were in the harbour. I guess he figured the public would come 'round eventually and just pay the tax - because everyone likes a bargain - but that never happened. In fact, protests got bigger and bigger until a meeting at the Old South Meeting House. A mob broke away from the crowd there and dumped the tea, solving the impasse, and wasting the tea. (I shuddered as I wrote that) The British reacted to the protest by sending British troops under Thomas Gage to occupy the town. They also closed the Boston Harbour, part of several laws they created to punish the Colonists that were dubbed the "Coercive Acts". Of course, these laws didn't gain them any sympathy with the Colonists - and led fairly directly to the outbreak of the Revolution. Tea is important business
Reference