It was the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on 16th December. While I’m aware of what happened, I haven’t studied much about the history of the American War of Independence, but I did know that despite its name, the Boston Tea Party was not a party at all and there certainly wasn’t any tea or cake served, unless you count the tea that was poured into the harbour.
What was the Boston Tea Party?
Most people would say that the Boston Tea Party sparked the American War of Independence. On 16th December 1773, a posse of American patriots (disguised as Native Americans) stormed vessels in Boston Harbour and threw 92,000 lbs of tea overboard. (As a tea lover all I can think is, what a waste.)
Like me, most would say the Americans did so in protest of the British government, which refused to allow the representation of the colonies in parliament, yet continued to increase and levy taxation, including on tea. (Oversimplified, I know.)
However, in The Spectator last week, Andrew Roberts argues this is all a myth.
Controversial!
Mr Roberts says that the posse were not patriots, but mercenaries hired by rich gangsters in Boston. The smuggling enterprises of these tea barons were threatened by the imported tea set to be sold at half the usual price by the East India Trading Company, undercutting the smugglers and the legitimate local tea merchants.
Do I agree? Well, I don’t know enough to make a reasoned argument. One thing I can say is that the British overreaction, including punitive measures like closing the port and cutting off Boston’s sea trade until compensation was paid to the East India Trading Company, did help to unite the colonies against the British and impelled them to seek independence.
Do you believe the Boston Tea Party was nothing more than a “squalid act of racketeering” or do you think it was an act of patriotism against greedy British taxation policies? As always, let me know in the comments.
This is my last weekly post this year. (Don’t worry – my usual history blog will be with you next week.) I’m taking a break over the festive period, but I want to thank you all for continuing to support me in 2023. I’ve lost a lot of subscribers after a certain social media platform stopped supporting sharing, so I’m just thankful I still have some subscribers to babble to about books, history and my writing.
I offer you all my best wishes for the new year, and I’ll be back to babbling in 2024!
