Our nation is not even begun and yet the colonists are starting to see the need to break from England.
After England won the French and Indian War in 1763, they left many of their soldiers in the New World. This presented a problem to the British because of all the needs the British soldier had. Each one had to have food and housing and this cost money. How would they pay for all these needs? The British decided to place many taxes on the colonists.
Of course the colonists resented these taxes. They began to stand up to the British again and in 1773, we had the conflict that has now become known as the Boston Tea Party.
Boston Tea Party
In 1773, Britain in their parliament across the oceans had imposed a tax on various items. The colonists had no representation in Parliament and thus had no say in the matter. Some of these taxes were repealed but the tax levy on tea remained. To add to this, Britain gave the monopoly of tea imports to the East India Company thus squeezing out the local companies.
On the night of December 16, 1773, a group of about 60 men disguised as Indians crept onto the ships in Boston Harbor. They were also being cheered on by many bystanders. They boarded the ships and dumped crates of tea into the harbor. The tea was valued at £18,000.
In retaliation, the British government imposed some punishments on the colony of Massachusetts in particular. This served only to unite the colonists and the flame was lit for the Revolution!
How much tea was dumped into the harbor?
There were about 342 chests of tea dumped into the harbor and in today’s value it would have equaled about $3 million! I think the colonists meant business.
Our country‘s inhabitants were waking up and realizing that they needed a say in the laws being made. They wanted freedom from Britain and I’m sure they reminded each other it was why their forefathers left England in 1620. The drum beat of Revolution had started and the colonists would soon be in a fight for their very country.