The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum - Boston

Jack Brown

ESOC 213

4/6/2022

Wiki Project

Boston Tea Party Historical Site

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that took place in 1773 at the Boston Harbor in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists were frustrated with the British for imposing Taxation without representation. The citizens of Boston were Angry with the taxes they had to pay and chose to revolt. They chose to dump boxes of tea into the harbor to protest. This tea came from the British East India Company. This was the first event of defiance that kick started the revolutionary war. I am going to be talking about this historical site and how it’s a Boston landmark.

Before we talk about what lies there today, we should talk about the history and the significance of this event. In the 1760’s the British parliament was in deep debt so they imposed taxes on American colonists. The first taxation they imposed was the stamp act which happened in 1765. This was the taxation of any piece of paper. That includes letters, newspapers, envelopes, playing cards and stamps. Then there were townshend acts which took place in 1767. Which was the taxation of paint, paper, glass lead and tea. The British felt that this was fair because they were protecting the colonists from invasion. The colonists disagreed with this and saw that it was not fair whatsoever. They didn't like that they were being taxed because they didn't have representation in parliament.

The next major event that occurred was the Boston Massacre which took place in 1770. A street fight took place between colonists and British soldiers outside the customs house. A group of colonists started throwing snowballs at the British soldiers. More British soldiers showed up and started firing at the group. They ended up killing five people and injuring six. The British eventually got rid of most of their taxes except the tea act because it was their biggest import. About 1.2 million pounds of tea was drunk a year. So in protest the colonists refused to drink tea from the British East India Company and started smuggling Dutch tea.

All of these incidents led the colonists to start a group called the Sons of Liberty. This group consisted of colonial merchants and tradesmen that were very upset with the British parliament. Some members of the group consisted of people like: Benedict Arnold, Patrick Henry, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock. This group organized and told citizens to help them protest the tea act. So they gathered on the night of December 16th, 1773 and boarded the ships holding the imported tea and decided to throw 342 boxes of tea in the harbor. They disguised themselves as Native Americans so they would not be blamed if someone saw. This was a big turning point and inspired the colonists to revolt against British control. Some notable American figures disapproved of these actions. People like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin did not think this was a good idea. George Washington said, “the cause of Boston…ever will be considered as the cause of America.” But his personal views of the event were far different. He voiced strong disapproval of “their conduct in destroying the Tea” and claimed Bostonians “were mad.”(History.com 2022). All of these historical events left a landmark and an important place of history that we know today.

Currently there is a historical site where you can visit and recall the events of the Boston Tea Party. This museum is located on Congress Street which is near downtown Boston. The museum is right on the water and even consists of replicas of the ships that were there during the Tea party. The museum consists of the Meeting House, the Tea Party ships and Griffin's Wharf.

At the Museum you will experience many different things that will help you understand what happened at the Boston Tea party. There is a reenactment that started the revolutionary war. In the meeting house you will step back on time and meet Samuel Adams. Then you can walk outside and see replica ships. These ships are called the Brig Beaver and the Eleanor. Griffin's Wharf is a replica boardwalk of what existed 240 years ago.

I choose to write about the Boston Tea Party and its attraction because it is a piece of history from my hometown. I grew up learning about history about where I was from and these historical sites were always helpful to me. It's important to know about and appreciate these places because it shaped what our country is today. Boston is a very historical city but I chose this specific place because of how much it kick started and impacted our independence as we know it. I took it upon myself to read some reviews on people's experience here at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museums. Almost every single one of them is a positive review and always has a great time. This place is great for tourists and people who want to learn more history about the early days of our country. Some people in this country do not know much about these important events and it's cool how we can have places like this to help us understand what happened. I cannot stress this enough that this place is worth going to and learning about.

Work Cited

History.com Editors. “Boston Tea Party.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party.

“Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum: #1 Best Patriotic Attraction.” Boston Tea Party Ships, 31 Mar. 2022, https://www.bostonteapartyship.com/.

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