250 years later, Americans still spot government tyranny

They came like torches in the ‌night, swarming⁢ over the sides of the three ships anchored in Griffin Harbor: the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver. Their faces were painted black, red, and copper⁢ from lamp soot and ​paint, bodies wrapped in‍ blankets or wearing “old frocks, red woollen caps, gowns, ⁤and‌ all manner of like devices.”

Axes pecked away at⁤ locks. Three hundred and⁤ forty wooden crates were cracked, ​scalped, and gutted, their 92,000 pounds ⁤of black powdered innards thrown into the water, turning it⁤ dark. After three hours, it was ​over. The only piece of personal property destroyed during the exercise was a padlock belonging to one of the captains,⁤ and this was replaced the next day.

The Boston⁢ Tea Party — which ⁢occurred 250 years ago this Dec. 16 — may not have been the spark that ignited the American Revolution, but it⁤ set the pieces up for the great conflict. Because of the tea’s destruction, Parliament retaliated throughout 1774 with the ⁣Coercive Acts.

The Boston‌ Port Bill (March 25) closed Boston Harbor to any and all trade; ‍the ⁣Massachusetts ‍Government Act (May 20) ​replaced‌ the elected delegates of‌ the Massachusetts Council with the⁣ king’s appointees, gave⁤ the royal ⁢governor the power to select sheriffs and sheriffs the power to select juries, ‌and​ restricted town meetings; the Impartial Administration⁣ of Justice Act (May 20) empowered the⁤ royal ‌governor​ to move ⁣trials out of ​Massachusetts as far as Britain, depriving the​ colonists of⁢ impartial trials by jury (a right that⁤ went⁤ back to 1215 and the Magna Carta); and⁤ the Quartering Act (June 2), which was applied to‍ all ‍the colonies, ⁤allowed ⁣officers⁤ to‌ demand ⁤better accommodations for their troops. While⁢ the act ​specified that troops be put up in‍ “uninhabited houses, out-houses,⁣ barns, or⁢ other buildings,” and not in private homes, Americans were to be ⁣billed for all the expenses tallied up by their “guests.”

The American response was sharp. “For flagrant injustice ​and⁢ barbarity, one might search in vain among the archives of ⁢Constantinople to find a match ⁤for it,” declared Samuel ‍Adams. John Dickinson of Philadelphia said ‍that “the insanity of Parliament has acted like inspiration in America. The Colonists ‌now know what is designed against them.”

Resistance in the ⁢form of days of fasting and prayer ⁤called for by colonial​ assemblies and resolutions pledging a boycott of British goods swept across the Atlantic seaboard.⁤ Later that September,‌ the First ​Continental Congress met ⁤and drafted the Continental‌ Association, an intercolonial alliance that would⁢ ban all imports and exports to ⁣and from the mother⁣ country. Some delegates, such as John ⁢Adams, with Nostradam

‍ What were ⁢the Coercive Acts, and how did ⁢they strain‌ the relationship ‍between‌ the American colonies and ⁣Britain?

The British government passed the Coercive Acts,‍ also known as⁣ the Intolerable Acts, which further strained the ‌relationship between the​ American colonies and Britain. These ‍acts included the closing ⁤of the port of Boston, the imposition ​of military rule, and the⁤ revocation of certain rights and privileges of the colonists.

But why did the colonists⁣ resort⁢ to such a⁤ drastic act as the destruction of valuable goods? The answer lies in the larger issue of taxation without representation. The⁤ British government, ⁣already burdened with debt from the French and Indian War, ​sought to ‍raise revenue ⁤from the⁤ American colonies by imposing various ‌taxes, including the ⁢infamous ⁢Stamp ‌Act ‍and the Townshend ‌Acts.

The colonists, who believed that⁣ they should have a say⁣ in the taxes that affected them, protested vehemently against these measures. They argued that as English subjects, they were entitled to the rights and liberties of Englishmen, and that taxation without representation was a violation of these rights.

The Boston Tea Party was a ‌direct response to the Tea⁢ Act of 1773, which granted the British East India‌ Company a monopoly on the importation and sale of tea in ‍the American colonies. This act not only threatened the livelihoods of​ American merchants who had been⁤ smuggling in⁤ Dutch⁣ tea to avoid paying British taxes,​ but it also symbolized the imposition of ⁤British authority over the colonies.

When a⁢ shipment of tea ​arrived in⁤ Boston in late 1773, ⁣a group of colonists, led by⁤ Samuel Adams and other‌ members of the Sons‌ of Liberty, disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and boarded the ships. Their⁤ aim⁣ was to destroy ⁢the tea and send a message to the British government that‌ the colonists would not​ accept their authority.

The aftermath of‌ the Boston Tea Party‌ was swift and severe.​ The⁤ British government responded⁢ by passing the Coercive Acts ⁤in ⁣1774, which aimed ⁤to punish the colonists and assert British control over the colonies. The port of Boston was closed, and ⁢British troops‌ were sent‍ to enforce martial law.

This heavy-handed response only served to further unite the colonies in their opposition ​to⁢ British rule. Committees⁣ of ⁢Correspondence ⁣were formed to coordinate resistance efforts, and the First Continental Congress ‌was convened in ‍1774 ​to address the ‌grievances of the colonists. The ‍stage was set for the American Revolution, which would ⁣ultimately ‌lead to the establishment of the United States as an independent ‍nation.

The Boston Tea Party ‌remains a ⁣powerful‍ symbol of resistance and defiance against unjust ​authority. It was⁢ a bold act of civil disobedience that inspired future generations of Americans to fight ⁣for their ⁤rights and ​freedoms. Today, we remember⁣ and honor those ⁣brave individuals who took a​ stand on​ that fateful night 250 ⁣years‌ ago.