Read Online Terror Attacks : From the Zealots to Bin Laden (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Vivian Head - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Williams, Vivian Head
Tags: nonfiction
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was a demonstration by American colonists against Great Britain’s decision to put a heavy tax on tea. Britain’s part in both the French and Indian War had been a very costly exercise, so when the war came to an end in 1763, King George III and his government needed to find ways of recouping their losses. They looked at taxing the American colonies and a series of actions, including the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townsend Acts of 1767 and the Boston Massacre of 1770, angered the colonists and strained the relationship of the two countries. The final straw was Britain’s attempt to tax tea, which spurred the colonists into action. The incident, known as the Boston Tea Party, took place on December 16, 1773, and is said to have been a contributory factor to the American Revolution.
The colonies refused to comply with the levies enforced by the Townsend Act, saying they had no obligation to pay taxes to a government in which they had no representatives. One of the main protesters was a man named John Hancock. Parliament decided to retract the taxes, with the exception of the duty they had imposed on tea.
In the year 1773, Britain’s East India Company was sitting on enormous stocks of tea that they were unable to sell in England, and it was on the verge of going bankrupt. In an effort to save the company, the government passed the Tea Act, which gave them the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies without having to pay any of the taxes imposed on the Americans. This meant that they could undersell the American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade.
Naively, the British government thought this would appease the situation because Americans would now be able to get their tea at a cheaper rate. However, what they overlooked was the fact that the colonists were not prepared to pay the duty on imported tea, because then they would be agreeing to unrepresentational taxation. Even though tea was a staple diet to the colonists, they were not fooled by the British government’s ploy, and when the East India Company sent shipments of tea to Philadelphia and New York, the colonists would not allow their ships to land.
The only place the ships were allowed to dock was Boston, because there the East India Company had the assistance of the British-appointed governor, who arranged for the tea to be landed with the aid of British armed ships. The inhabitants of Boston were furious after failing to turn back three ships – the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver – in the harbour, and it all came to a head on the evening of December 16, 1773.
The Tea Act required that the requisite tax be collected within 20 days of a ship’s arrival in port, which made December 16 the deadline. It was at this time that a man named Samuel Adams came to the fore. He began to question the fairness of the laws imposed by the governor, who was appointed by the British government. Adams and his father spent several years trying to prevent British officials from taking their home and land. Adams believed the colonists had a right to elect their own government officials, and he began to convince others about their rights for fairness, justice and representation. He wrote newspaper articles and essays and promoted his ideas at taverns and meetings. As a result he formed the Country Party, which included farmers who supported his ideas.
Adams kept public passion high by holding meetings in the Old South Meeting House, and as many as 5,000 people filled the surrounding streets. At one of these gatherings, a resolution was adopted that asked the consignees to return the tea to England. However some of the tea agents were relatives of the governor and refused to comply. On December 16, the owner of the Dartmouth, who sympathized with their plight, agreed to sail his ship back to England. This opportunity to ease tensions was abruptly ended, however, when British officials denied permission for the ship to clear the port and began
The colonies refused to comply with the levies enforced by the Townsend Act, saying they had no obligation to pay taxes to a government in which they had no representatives. One of the main protesters was a man named John Hancock. Parliament decided to retract the taxes, with the exception of the duty they had imposed on tea.
In the year 1773, Britain’s East India Company was sitting on enormous stocks of tea that they were unable to sell in England, and it was on the verge of going bankrupt. In an effort to save the company, the government passed the Tea Act, which gave them the right to export its merchandise directly to the colonies without having to pay any of the taxes imposed on the Americans. This meant that they could undersell the American merchants and monopolize the colonial tea trade.
Naively, the British government thought this would appease the situation because Americans would now be able to get their tea at a cheaper rate. However, what they overlooked was the fact that the colonists were not prepared to pay the duty on imported tea, because then they would be agreeing to unrepresentational taxation. Even though tea was a staple diet to the colonists, they were not fooled by the British government’s ploy, and when the East India Company sent shipments of tea to Philadelphia and New York, the colonists would not allow their ships to land.
The only place the ships were allowed to dock was Boston, because there the East India Company had the assistance of the British-appointed governor, who arranged for the tea to be landed with the aid of British armed ships. The inhabitants of Boston were furious after failing to turn back three ships – the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver – in the harbour, and it all came to a head on the evening of December 16, 1773.
The Tea Act required that the requisite tax be collected within 20 days of a ship’s arrival in port, which made December 16 the deadline. It was at this time that a man named Samuel Adams came to the fore. He began to question the fairness of the laws imposed by the governor, who was appointed by the British government. Adams and his father spent several years trying to prevent British officials from taking their home and land. Adams believed the colonists had a right to elect their own government officials, and he began to convince others about their rights for fairness, justice and representation. He wrote newspaper articles and essays and promoted his ideas at taverns and meetings. As a result he formed the Country Party, which included farmers who supported his ideas.
Adams kept public passion high by holding meetings in the Old South Meeting House, and as many as 5,000 people filled the surrounding streets. At one of these gatherings, a resolution was adopted that asked the consignees to return the tea to England. However some of the tea agents were relatives of the governor and refused to comply. On December 16, the owner of the Dartmouth, who sympathized with their plight, agreed to sail his ship back to England. This opportunity to ease tensions was abruptly ended, however, when British officials denied permission for the ship to clear the port and began
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