The Boston Massacre & the Boston Tea Party
On March 5, 1770 the conflict between the
colonists and the soldiers resulted in the deaths
of five people. This event is called the Boston
Massacre. It produced the first martyrs (people
who die for a cause) of the American Revolution.
A crowd of colonists in Boston had been cursing
and throwing objects at ten British soldiers
guarding a customs house. The British soldiers
were under orders not to fire. But a shot
suddenly rang out and the soldiers opened fire –
killing the five colonists. One of the dead was a
black sailor named Crispus Attucks, a member
of the Sons of Liberty. When the trial of the
soldiers took place, evidence was presented to show that the crowd had been responsible for
the incident – but it was never proven which side first opened fire.
The Boston Massacre was the excuse Samuel Adams and other leaders
of the Sons of Liberty needed to increase their attacks upon the British
government and its unpopular tax laws. They argued that that the
Boston Massacre was first of many. Innocent colonists would continue
to be murdered when they tried to protect their property and freedoms.
Tension between the colonists and Britain continued to climb and by
1773, the passing of the Tea Act became yet another intolerable event
that would forge the American’s resolve and desire for independence.
A British monopoly called the British East India Company had
complete control over the tea trade. It imported tea to Britain and
then sold it to British and American wholesalers who then sold it to
retailers in the colonies. By the time was sold to the consumer, its
price was extremely high because it had passed through so many
hands.
As a consequence of the high price of its tea and the American
boycott, the British East India Company found itself in serious
financial difficulty. It
was nearly bankrupt.
In 1773, the British
government passed a
law called the Tea
Act to help out the
troubled company. It permitted the company
to sell its tea directly to American retailers.
This cut out both the British and American
wholesalers and down the price of tea to a
reasonable level. However, the tea tax was
still included in the price of the tea. The
British government thought the colonist would
be pleased with the lower price of British tea
and would buy more of it. This would help the
British East India Company and provide more tax revenue for the British government.
The British were not prepared for the angry American
reaction. The Sons of Liberty saw the Tea Act as an
attempt to destroy trade in the colonies. The Tea
Act had cut out the American tea wholesalers and
traders and they argued that this was merely the
first of many monopoly laws which were designed to
drive the colonists out of business and ultimately
open the door for more British taxes.
On December 16, 1773, 30 to 60 members of the
Sons of Liberty, disguised as native Indians, boarded
the East India ships and dumped 340 chests of tea
into the Boston Harbour. This incident became
known as the Boston Tea Party. Many of the colonists were delighted with this action. The
British government was outraged. It believed it had treated the Americans in a fair and
sensitive manner. It regarded the Boston Tea Party as a challenge to its authority in the
colonies. It immediately passed laws to punish the colonists.