Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party took place on this date in 1773. Protesting the British tax on tea a well-organized Boston mob took possession of three East India merchant ships docked at Griffin Wharf in Boston Harbor. Disguised as Mohawk Indians the ships were boarded and the cargo of tea was brought up out of the holds of each vessel, un-crated and then dumped into Boston Harbor. The estimated value of the tea, at that time, was over 10,000 pounds.

The Boston Tea Party (a term that only came in use many years afterward) precipitated a major crisis in the relationship between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies. Seeking to punish the townspeople of Boston, the busy port was closed and more Regiments of British Regulars were sent to re-establish order. The direct end result of these events was an armed revolt that began some sixteen months later on April 19, 1775.