What was the Boston Tea Act?
It was an act of protest in which a group of 60 American colonists threw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to agitate against both a tax on tea (which had been an example of taxation without representation) and the perceived monopoly of the East India Company.
What did colonists do in 1773 in Boston?
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor.
What was the result of the Tea Act in Boston?
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, granted the British East India Company Tea a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies. The passing of the Tea Act imposed no new taxes on the American colonies. The tax on tea had existed since the passing of the 1767 Townshend Revenue Act.
Why did the colonists hate the Tea Act?
Many colonists opposed the Act, not so much because it rescued the East India Company, but more because it seemed to validate the Townshend Tax on tea. These interests combined forces, citing the taxes and the Company’s monopoly status as reasons to oppose the Act.
Is there still tea in the Boston Harbor?
The Beaver, Dartmouth, and Eleanor were moored at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston. It is at this location where the December 16, 1773 destruction of the tea occurred. The original location of the Boston Tea Party no longer exists because of extensive landfills that destroyed the location.
Who caused the Boston Tea Party?
After Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused, Patriot leader Samuel Adams organized the “tea party” with about 60 members of the Sons of Liberty, his underground resistance group. The British tea dumped in Boston Harbor on the night of December 16 was valued at some $18,000.
How much was the tax that caused the Boston Tea Party?
The act granted the EIC a monopoly on the sale of tea that was cheaper than smuggled tea; its hidden purpose was to force the colonists to pay a tax of 3 pennies on every pound of tea. The Tea Act thus retained the three pence Townshend duty on tea imported to the colonies.
Can you swim in Boston Harbor?
While Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area is water-oriented, none of the islands or peninsula parks are true swimming destinations. The beaches are all gravel, so you need either tough feet or water shoes to have any chance of enjoying yourself.
How much would the tea from the Boston Tea Party be worth today?
It’s estimated that the protestors tossed more than 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. That’s enough to fill 18.5 million teabags. The present-day value of the destroyed tea has been estimated at around $1 million. 10.
When did the East India Company arrive in Boston?
A few days later, the ship Eleanor and brig Beaver arrived with more cargoes of tea. With the deadline to unload the tea looming, Bostonians met at Old South Meeting House on Thursday December 16, 1773 to decide the fate of the cursed East India Company Tea.
Why was the East India Company Act passed?
An act to allow a drawback of the duties of customs on the exportation of tea to any of his Majesty’s colonies or plantations in America; to increase the deposit on bohea tea to be sold at the India Company’s sales; and to impower the commissioners of the treasury to grant licences to the East India Company to export tea duty-free.
Where did the East India Company send the tea?
In the summer of 1773, the East India Company put the plan into action when it dispatched shipments of tea to four major colonial ports-Charleston, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. When the ships reached New York and Philadelphia, they were turned back by colonials who refused to allow the tea to land.
How did the East India Company help colonial merchants?
It also gave the East India Company the authority to choose the colonial merchants to whom it would consign the tea.