The Destruction of the Tea

Organized by Samuel Adams and a group of Patriots known as the Sons of Liberty the Boston Tea Party is one of the most talked about acts of rebellion in early American history. American colonists were tired of being taxed unfairly by the British and decided to do something about it. In the late evening on December 16th, 1773 a few hundred men walked out to Griffin's Wharf in Boston and emptied three ships full of tea into the harbor. The men were careful to not damage the boats, which weren't owned by the British, and made sure everything was put back into it's proper place by the end of the night. This act of rebellion was well planned, and executed.

I always thought that the Boston Tea Party was a huge riot full of crazy guys so mad at what was going down that they just destroyed the tea and threw a few obstinacies at the British afterwards. It really seemed like a mess to me. After doing some research on what actually happened, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was really a matter of action. After reading the accounts about how it happened I feel like the Sons of Liberty were at their breaking point. They wanted to rebel, but they wanted to do it in a methodical way. This was it.

The Boston Tea Party is what really lit the flame for the American Revolution, but not without cost. It is said that the 340+ chests of tea that were thrown overboard into the harbor would cost approximately, 1.7 million dollars in todays currency. The tea would have brewed over 18 million cups. Along with the loss of the tea came a loss of freedoms to the American Colonies. Britain came up with a series of acts known as the Coercive Acts. These acts gave a leg-up to the British Military stationed there and made the Colonists even more furious.

The main battle between the British and the Colonists at this point was not the amount being taxed, or the military overrunning the land. It was the simple fact that the Colonists had no say in what happened to them or their people. American Colonists were not a part of the British Parliament, therefore they couldn't even contribute to decisions on how to govern the new American Colonies. The American Revolution took place to fight for our freedom to contribute and to lead.

Today, we continue to exercise the right to speak for ourselves, contribute, and lead. As we go through our day to day lives we make decisions for ourselves, and those decisions affect others. It is increasingly important to make well-informed and thought out decisions. Our ancestors fought for our right to contribute and to lead so that we can create our own destiny. That destiny will help us achieve our dreams, whatever they may be. Now that's what I call freedom.