Boston Tea Party

Definition

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by American colonists against the British government in 1773. It involved the destruction of a shipment of tea by throwing it into the Boston Harbor, in response to the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Boston Tea Party was a direct response to the Tea Act, which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies and undercut local merchants.
2. The protest was organized by the Sons of Liberty, a secret colonial organization that opposed British taxation and sought independence.
3. The destruction of the tea was a symbolic act of defiance against the British government and its attempts to assert control over the colonies.
4. The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, were the British government's punitive response to the Boston Tea Party, which further angered the colonists and contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
5. The Boston Tea Party is considered a pivotal event in the lead-up to the American Revolution, as it demonstrated the colonists' willingness to take direct action against British authority.

Review Questions

• Explain how the Boston Tea Party was connected to the Stamp Act and the Sons of Liberty.
  • The Boston Tea Party was a direct response to the British government's attempts to assert control over the American colonies, which had begun with the Stamp Act in 1765. The Stamp Act, which imposed a tax on various printed materials, sparked outrage and protests from the colonists, who formed the Sons of Liberty to organize resistance. The Sons of Liberty were a key driving force behind the Boston Tea Party, using it as a symbolic act of defiance against the British government's continued efforts to tax the colonies without their consent.
• Describe how the British government's response to the Boston Tea Party, known as the Coercive Acts, further angered the colonists and contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
  • The British government's response to the Boston Tea Party, known as the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts, was seen by the colonists as a harsh and unjust punishment. The acts closed the port of Boston, placed restrictions on colonial self-government, and angered the colonists who viewed them as a violation of their rights as British subjects. This further escalated tensions between the colonies and the British government, contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War as the colonists became increasingly determined to fight for their independence.
• Analyze the symbolic significance of the Boston Tea Party and how it demonstrated the colonists' willingness to take direct action against British authority.
  • The Boston Tea Party was a powerful symbolic act of defiance against the British government's attempts to assert control over the American colonies. By destroying a shipment of British tea, the colonists were sending a clear message that they would not accept the British government's policies without a fight. This demonstration of the colonists' willingness to take direct action against British authority was a significant turning point, as it showed the British that the colonists were prepared to go to great lengths to defend their rights and liberties. The Boston Tea Party, therefore, played a crucial role in the lead-up to the American Revolutionary War, as it galvanized colonial resistance and solidified the colonists' determination to achieve independence.

Related terms

Sons of Liberty: A secret organization of American colonists that was formed to oppose the Stamp Act and other British taxation, leading to events like the Boston Tea Party.

Stamp Act: A law passed by the British Parliament in 1765 that required the American colonies to pay a tax on various printed materials, sparking colonial outrage and protests.

Coercive Acts: A series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party, which closed the port of Boston and placed restrictions on colonial self-government.