The protest against British taxes known as the "Boston Tea Party," 1773. (Library of Congress)
American Revolution: The Boston Tea Party
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE
The principles of liberalism and democracy — the political foundation of the
United States — sprang naturally from the process of building a new society on
virgin land. Just as naturally, the new nation would see itself as different and
exceptional. Europe would view it with apprehension, or hope.
Britain's 13 North American colonies matured during the 1700s. They grew in
population, economic strength, and cultural attainment. They were experienced in
self-government. Yet it was not until 170 years after the founding of the first
permanent settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, that the new United States of
America emerged as a nation.
War between Britain and France in the 1750s was fought partly in North
America. Britain was victorious and soon initiated policies designed to control
and fund its vast empire. These measures imposed greater restraints on the
American colonists' way of life.
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 restricted the opening of new lands for
settlement. The Sugar Act of 1764 placed taxes on luxury goods, including
coffee, silk, and wine, and made it illegal to import rum. The Currency Act of
1764 prohibited the printing of paper money in the colonies. The Quartering Act
of 1765 forced colonists to provide food and housing for royal troops. And the
Stamp Act of 1765 required the purchase of royal stamps for all legal documents,
newspapers, licenses, and leases.
Colonists objected to all these measures, but the Stamp Act sparked the
greatest organized resistance. The main issue, in the eyes of a growing number
of colonists, was that they were being taxed by a distant legislature in which
they could not participate. In October 1765, 27 delegates from nine colonies met
in New York to coordinate efforts to get the Stamp Act repealed. They passed
resolutions asserting the individual colonies' right to impose their own taxes.
Self-government produced local political leaders, and these were the men who
worked together to defeat what they considered to be oppressive acts of
Parliament. After they succeeded, their coordinated campaign against Britain
ended. During the next several years, however, a small number of radicals tried
to keep the controversy alive. Their goal was not accommodation, but
independence.
Samuel Adams of Massachusetts was the most effective. He wrote newspaper
articles and made speeches appealing to the colonists' democratic instincts. He
helped organize committees throughout the colonies that became the basis of a
revolutionary movement. By 1773, the movement had attracted colonial traders who
were angry with British attempts to regulate the tea trade. In December, a group
of men sneaked on to three British ships in Boston harbor and dumped their cargo
of tea overboard. This incident, which took place on December 16, 1773, has been seen as helping to spark the American Revolution and is now referred to
as The Boston Tea Party
To punish Massachusetts for the vandalism, the British Parliament closed the
port of Boston and restricted local authority. The new measures, dubbed the
Intolerable Acts, backfired. Rather than isolate one colony, they rallied the
others. All the colonies except Georgia sent representatives to Philadelphia in
September 1774 to discuss their "present unhappy state." It was the first
Continental Congress.
Colonists felt a growing sense of frustration and anger over British
encroachment on their rights. Yet by no means was there unanimity of thought on
what should be done. Loyalists wanted to remain subjects of the king. Moderates
favored compromise to produce a more acceptable relationship with the British
government. And revolutionaries wanted complete independence. They began
stockpiling weapons and mobilizing forces — waiting for the day when they would
have to fight for it.
