The Boston Tea Party: Political and Mercantile Protest

There were several different events that I considered discussing during the studied time frame, but the major historical event that most intrigued me the most is the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest led by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts on December 16, 1773. The Boston Tea Party was a result of the Tea Act that was put into place by the British Government. The Tea Act was granted by the British to help reduce their national debt therefore, placing a tax on the tea in Boston. As a show of protest against the British Parliament's new tax on their tea, the citizens in Boston dumped crates of tea in the harbor of Boston. Their chant of No taxation without representation became famous and influenced politics moving forward.

The Boston Tea Party happened as a result of Taxation without Representation, yet there are many more complex causes that led up to this Tea Party protest. However, when looking at the history of our great United States of America and the world of protesting that we live in today, this act is what makes this such a significant event and signifies one of the first massive rebellions and the beginning of several fundamental rights that our current democracy allows. The American Colonist believed that Britain was unfairly taxing them for their tea. One main reason they are taxing American Colonists is to help fund the French and Indian War. The colonist had never accepted the increased taxation or liked the constitution and the Tea Act rekindled their opposition to British government. Their resistance resulted in the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, in which the colonists dressed as Native Americans, boarded East Indian Company ships and dumped all the tea on the ships overboard in the harbor. Furthermore, the belief that the Government was creating a monopoly on tea created a sense of both anger and fear amongst those living in The States. The American Colonist argued that a monopoly created with tea would allow for other businesses and their products to also be monopolized and would hurt the economy in which competitive pricing was beginning to be established

It takes just a few simple acts by government to create stir amongst groups that are considered the rebels prior to war. The Boston Tea Party, written by Samantha Gibson, explained how Samual Adams joined voices with the Sons of Liberty to begin the crucial steps towards the beginning of the Revolutionary War against England and eventually the creation of the United States of America. The British then became very furious at the actions of the colonists and felt a need to impose discipline for their rebellion. The act of discipline enforced by the British Government is written and explained by the authors of History.com, which became known as a key part of the Intolerable Acts. The American Colonist then became, highly upset about the punishment that the British enforced upon the colonists. How and why does this become so important? It seems very clear to me as I continued the research of the the event and the current state of uncertainty in our very own country. War does not look to be in our near future, but it is clear that the ability of a few to come together over a cause can create protest for their rights and has rooted itself in our country over the years, and is protected rights through the constitution. Over the last several months and years, it seems that the right to protest and express one's views has increased and thus supports the statement made by John Adams in his diary dated December 17, 1773 in which he states that The people should never rise, without doing something to be remembered/something notable and striking.

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