Dumping Tea into Boston Harbor

The original Boston Tea Party took place Dec. 3, 1773, setting into action a course of events that led to the American Revolution three years later. Today, visitors to Boston can relive the experience at Boston Harbor, dumping tea into the water just like the Sons of Liberty.

Motivated by increased tensions with King George and an encroaching British East India Company, 7,000 people gathered outside the Old Smith Meeting House in Boston after hearing about the British Parliament’s Townhend Act that levied taxes on English tea bound for cities throughout the colonies.

Resistance movements in Philadelphia, New York and Charleston sent the ships back to England. Governor Hutchinson of Boston was obstinate he would not send the Dartmouth back across the Atlantic. After hearing about Hutchinson’s refusal, the attendees furiously left the Meeting House for Boston Harbor, some disguised as Mohawks to conceal their identity, which signified the movement as American, not one of British subjects.

Legend has it, Samuel Adams gave the “signal” for the tea party to begin, but this is most likely a misinterpretation, as he, in fact, tried to restore order to finish the meeting. At least 116 documented participants proceeded to board three vessels on Griffin’s Wharf, dumping 342 chests of tea into the water over the course of three hours. It’s not clear if Adams took part, but he was instrumental in publicizing and defending the act.

The Boston Tea Party would go on to be remembered as one of the key events leading to the Revolutionary War in America. It inspired similar tea parties in Philadelphia and Annapolis, bolstering the growing revolutionary spirit across the colonies.