Events in history: Boston Tea Party

The more historical events move away from modernity, the more splendid they become covered by a romantic fleur. In 1917, a relatively small group of propagandized sailors in Petrograd seized a legitimate interim government, and only a couple of decades later, a legend about heavy fighting with the Junkers and the Death Battalion was made by means of cinematography, and the talented director simply hammered the wrought-iron gates by the mass- , It is not clear why climbing on open sashes. The events of the Civil War have already romanticized beyond all limits. Our fellow citizens understand the technologies of manipulating consciousness with the help of art, the media and history textbooks, but how does the Americans treat this? The facts speak of their naivety. So, the famous "Boston Tea Party" in 1773, most of them consider the beginning of the struggle for independence.

What do we know about the Boston Tea Party?

The very name of this event is caused by a person who knows the history of the United States not very well, an association with a certain collection of founding fathers who are familiar in portraits on dollar bills sitting at a table with cups in hand. The fact that the "Boston Tea Party" occurred in the city of Boston, in a territory called Massachusetts, later became a state, and then part of a British colony, is clear from the name. And tea to this historical fact also has something to do with. But he was not drunk, he was drowned. But first things first.

The name of the event is clearly ironic. To understand why a large quantity of expensive goods was destroyed, one should know the international situation preceding it. In what year did the Boston Tea Party take place? What was the situation in the overseas possessions of Britain? Who made the disgrace and why?

The British Empire and its overseas possessions

In the second half of the 18th century, almost the entire territory of the modern United States was a colony of Great Britain. The generality of the language, religious rites and the prevailing ethnic composition of the immigrants gave such administrative subordination a certain harmony. The habit of drinking tea, although not a product of first necessity, was also exclusively English in the habit. Nobody thought about fighting for independence from the mother country.

However, some contradictions still existed, and they were of an economic nature.

The economic crisis and the methods of getting out of it

The seven-year war, which led Britain, pretty devastated the royal treasury. To rectify the case, the parliament decided to increase the tax burden on the overseas possessions. All this began eight years before the Boston tea party of 1773 happened. Control of fiscal revenues was hampered by the large geographic removal of the American continent, the overcoming of the Atlantic at that time took about three months. The difficult economic situation was aggravated by the critical situation bordering on the complete bankruptcy of the main state enterprise of the empire, which is engaged in foreign trade - the East India Company. To save her from ruin was a matter of state importance, and for this purpose the British government provided her preferences, mainly relating to fees and taxes, or rather, to be released from them.

Tea Trade in the New World

Tea in the British colonies of North America came through various channels - both official and contraband. For many years there was a certain market equilibrium, in which the consumer could choose between the product of the legal supplier (usually more expensive) and cheap, but imported, bypassing customs. As a result of a possible trade intervention of the East India Company, the whole situation changed radically. Local residents did not like it.

From the point of view of the ordinary buyer, nothing terrible happened. If a resident of Boston does not have a direct relationship to the trade in colonial goods, what kind of difference does it really make to him in which store to buy tea? But this is only at first glance. Razoriv suppliers, competitors, the East India Company received unlimited monopoly trading regime, and at the same time the opportunity to force all consumers to buy goods at the price they deem appropriate. Immediately it was not understood by everyone, but there was a man who could conduct explanatory work among the population. His name was Samuel Adams.

"Sons of Freedom" and their leader

The idea of independence for the North American states did not yet capture the minds of the masses, but already wandered in some heads. The adherents of separatism called themselves "Sons of Freedom", they professed radical views on independence. Eventually they organized the "Boston Tea Party". The year 1773 was the date of decisive action for the "Sons of Freedom" and their leader, Samuel Adams. Methods of organization applied the most that neither is revolutionary. During the unrest, all dissenters were obstructed, and their property could easily be damaged or even destroyed. This concerned both housing and shops.

In total, at the first stage, the East India Company planned to deliver three consignments of goods. The first of them arrived at Dartmouth in Boston harbor on November 27. A little later came here two more ships "Beaver" and "Eleanor."

In the holds were 342 large bales (45 tons), with a total value of 10,000 pounds sterling. The sum for those times is not just huge, but astronomical.

Developing conflict

The propaganda efforts of Adams and his "Sons" gave results, there was nobody to unload the vessel, they were idle in the port, and the teams listened to the cries of protesters gathered for crowded rallies of protest. A week later, the captain of Dartmouth Roach proposed a variant that seemed to him a compromise: the tea remains on the ships, and they themselves return to where they came from, to the UK. But it was not there.

Special words deserve the actions of those individuals who should have served as a stronghold of British power. It was Governor Hudchinson who gave the order to block the harbor and prevent the exit from it "Dartmouth", "Beaver" and "Eleanor". In the course of further events, a significant part of the local police moved to the side of the insurgents.

How was the "Boston Tea Party"

On the night of December 16, several dozen Boston residents (the exact amount is set as hard as the number of logs carried along with Lenin on the first subbotnik) penetrated Dartmouth, and from it to Eleanor and Beaver. Before the attack, they somehow painted themselves under the Indians. Why it was done, it is not known for certain, it is clear, however, that it was not for the Mohawks to give out their intentions, but that would not have happened. Perhaps, such a masquerade gave the shares the character of a cheerful adventure adventure. As a result, all brought tea was in the Gulf of Boston. The product was hopelessly spoiled, the East India Company suffered huge losses. This was the Boston Tea Party.

Consequences of tea drinking

The news then spread slowly. At first they reached New York and provoked a burst of enthusiasm among the inhabitants of all British North American colonies. In London, the incident was only learned three months later. "The Boston Tea Party" by the British government was qualified as a riot, which, in general, corresponded to the truth. The decisions were swift and tough. They consisted of an order to block Boston, impose an embargo on trade with Massachusetts, to remove the local administration and establish martial law. General Thomas Gage was appointed new governor. Decisions, in general, are true, but it was not easy to implement them.

An important lesson

By decision of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, armed resistance began. The slogan "Freedom or Death", pronounced by Patrick Henry in Virginia, found a response in the hearts of the Bostonians, and later all those who from now on considered themselves Americans. Even the reinforcements that came from England, commanded by William Howe, did not help Goyge. The full-scale War of Independence began in the spring of 1775.

Of course, the separation from the metropolis of the North American colonies did not occur due to the drowning in the sea depths of a tea party, even if it were large. But ironically, the "Boston Tea Party", which occurred solely for economic reasons, demonstrated the inability of Britain to retain remote territories that showed the will to independence.