Why Did The Boston Tea Party Happen ?
The Boston Tea Party is one of the many incidents that portrayed the colonists’ revolt and anger against the British Rule. The British had imposed heavy tax duties on imported products like tea, paint, sugar, etc, that were imported from other countries. The colonists argued that none of them was represented in the British Parliament when the tax duties were imposed. They did not accept an Act that was passed without their approval or consent.
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The British, on the other hand, wanted to make up for the huge financial losses that were incurred during the Seven Year War. They thought taxing the colonists was one of the best means to fill in their treasury and at the same time show their superiority.
While a few states like Philadelphia and New York successfully sent ships laden with tea back to Britain, not many were successful. Boston in particular was not treated well by the British governor Thomas Hutchinson who forced the colonists to unload the tea chests and pay taxes.
As an act of defiance and refusing to pay taxes imposed on tea, the colonists disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians on December 16, 1773. They boarded the three ships that had tea chests from the British East India Company. They unloaded the chests, split open the containers and dumped all 342 containers at the Boston Harbor. They termed it “Boston Tea Party”. A few even named the event “Saltwater Tea”. The colonists were extremely successful in hiding their identity for decades even after the American Revolution.
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