4: "Boston Harbor A Tea-Pot This Night:" The Boston Tea Party

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Summary

The Boston Tea Party was a pivotal moment in American history, where approximately 150 men, some disguised as Mohawks, gathered at Boston Harbor to destroy a massive 46-ton shipment of tea valued at 9,000 pounds sterling. This defiant act was carried out in response to the Tea Act of 1773, which was perceived as yet another example of taxation without representation. The destruction of the tea led to a series of punitive measures by the British government, known as the Coercive Acts, which further escalated tensions between Britain and the American colonies, setting the stage for the Revolutionary War.

Highlights

Around 150 men gathered at Boston Harbor, disguised to avoid recognition. 🎭
The targeted tea was part of a much-disputed British financial rescue attempt for the East India Company. 💰
Chests of tea were hoisted on deck, their contents broke open, and tea shoveled into Boston Harbor. 🚢
None of the military forces nearby attempted to intervene, despite the riotous situation. 🔥
Afterward, Boston prepped for expected British retaliation, foreshadowing greater conflict. ⚔️

Key Takeaways

The Boston Tea Party wasn't just a rowdy night; it was a daring act of defiance against British taxation policies. 🇺🇸
Disguised as Mohawks, the Patriots made sure they couldn’t be easily identified during the tea demolition. 🕵️‍♂️
The East India Company's struggles and the British government's financial needs led to the dreaded Tea Act. 📉
The Coercive Acts were Britain's harsh response, aimed at punishing Boston and alarming all American colonies. 🇬🇧
The ripple effects of this event contributed significantly to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. 🏴‍☠️

Overview

Picture it: nearly 150 men, some sporting disguises as Mohawks, stealthily converge on Boston Harbor under the cloak of night. Their mission? To destroy an overwhelming 46 tons of British tea—worth a fortune in those days—protesting against what they deem as unfair taxation imposed without representation. This was more than just throwing a wild party; it was a bold statement against imperial overreach. 🛶

This audacious move was fueled by simmering tensions and economic strains, both in America and across the pond. The East India Company, burdened by debt, became a pawn in the British government's desperate efforts to stabilize its finances, leading to the infamous Tea Act of 1773. The response? Patriots deciding they'd had enough of tea—and, by extension, British rule—were ready to break some (tea) leaves. 🍵

Fast forward a bit, and the patriots' actions paint an indelible mark on history, sparking vicious retaliatory acts from the British in the form of the Coercive Acts. These measures aimed to cripple Boston's economy and reinforce British authority, but instead, they deepened the chasm between Britain and its American colonies. The Boston Tea Party didn't just raise the stakes; it ushered in a revolutionary tide that was impossible to stem. 🌊

Chapters

00:00 - 00:30: Welcome to History That Doesn't Suck The chapter introduces the podcast 'History That Doesn't Suck,' hosted by Professor Greg Jackson. It opens with a scene of a sizable group, between thirty to one hundred fifty men, at Boston Harbor. The men, attempting to conceal their identities, are dressed in various degrees of disguise, some fully costumed as Indians and referring to themselves as Mohawks, while others adopt minimal disguise. This scene sets the stage for a historical narrative.
00:30 - 01:00: Disguise and Secrecy: The Boston Tea Party The chapter discusses the strategies employed by participants of the Boston Tea Party to disguise their identities. Participants used old blankets, plain clothes, and face paint, and many dressed as Mohawks to avoid being recognized as Bostonians. These disguises were crucial to prevent authorities from identifying and arresting them for their illegal actions.
01:00 - 01:30: The Value of Tea and the Plan for Destruction The chapter titled 'The Value of Tea and the Plan for Destruction' discusses the historical context of tea being a highly valuable commodity. It mentions the destruction of tea shipments weighing over 46 tons, valued at 9,000 pounds sterling, to underscore the enormity of the act. This sum is put into perspective by noting that one could purchase a home in 1770s Boston for around 200 pounds, thus highlighting the tea's significant financial worth and the drastic nature of its intended destruction.
01:30 - 02:00: Arriving at Griffin's Wharf In the chapter titled 'Arriving at Griffin's Wharf,' a group of unidentifiable men, armed with clubs, sticks, cutlasses, and guns, quietly move under the cover of night. They arrive at Griffin's Wharf, situated on Boston's southeast coast in the year 1773, not exactly the modern-day Southie, but close to where it will be in the future.
02:00 - 02:30: Dividing the Shipments of Tea The chapter describes the events of December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf, near the Liberty tree. Here, the Sons of Liberty have divided into three groups to target ships holding valuable tea. The tea is divided almost equally among three ships: the Beaver, the Eleanor, and the Dartmouth, in preparation for its destruction.
02:30 - 03:00: The Process of Destroying Tea The chapter titled 'The Process of Destroying Tea' describes the significant yet challenging task undertaken during a historical event where a total of 340 chests of tea were destroyed. The chests, carried by the ships Beaver, Eleanor, and Dartmouth, weighed between 400 to 450 pounds each. Despite the weight and the sheer number of chests, which included some smaller, more expensive varieties, they were all emptied into Boston Harbor within a span of three hours.
03:00 - 03:30: Royal Navy and the Event's Tension A group of unknown individuals threaten customs officers and board three ships. They work under the cover of night, using lanterns and torches to guide them. Some men go into the hold of each ship to rig up equipment to lift heavy chests onto the deck. Two axes are used to break open the first chest due to its weight, as it is too heavy to lift outright.
03:30 - 04:00: A Personal Anecdote: Elizabeth Palmer The chapter provides a vivid depiction of the process of disposing of tea, likely during a historical event such as the Boston Tea Party. It describes the physical actions involved in the task, such as shoveling and pouring tightly packed dry leaves overboard. The narrative details how the tea containers, once emptied of significant weight, are discarded into the harbor, ensuring that both their contents and themselves are irreparably spoiled. The description captures the methodical and almost ceremonial destruction of the tea into the cold dark water, illustrating the significant and deliberate nature of the act.
04:00 - 04:30: The Origin of the Name 'Boston Tea Party' The chapter titled 'The Origin of the Name 'Boston Tea Party'' opens with a depiction of the tense situation as participants quickly and stealthily destroy tea while the Royal Navy warships are stationed just a few hundred yards away. Although the 64th regiment is present at Castle Island across the harbor, there is uncertainty about whether they will intervene. The narrative raises questions about whether the participants, referred to as 'unnamed Tea demolitionists,' are aware of the potential consequences of their actions as they glance across the dark night.
04:30 - 05:00: The Aftermath and Consequences The chapter opens with a vivid depiction of the Royal Navy ships around Castle Island and the mixed feelings they evoke—fear and adrenaline-fueled confidence, possibly influenced by rum. The narrative then shifts to a personal story involving a Bostonian woman named Elizabeth Palmer. The text introduces an intriguing anecdote she shares with her grandson decades later. Elizabeth recalls a specific night when she heard her front gate open, assuming it was her husband, Joseph, returning home after an outing.
05:00 - 05:30: Understanding the Global Context In the chapter titled 'Understanding the Global Context,' an event unfolds where a woman named Betsy is shocked to see three stout looking Indians outside. However, she initially finds comfort upon recognizing her husband's voice. The narrative hints at a cultural or legal commentary by mentioning 'making a little saltwater tea' with Joseph, implying an incident that would be perceived differently in modern American court systems.
05:30 - 06:00: The Role of the East India Company The chapter titled "The Role of the East India Company" discusses the infamous Boston Tea Party incident, underscoring its seriousness by comparing it to a modern-day equivalent of breaking into property for a protest. The chapter appears to provide a narrative tone with references to pop culture, likening historical figures to characters like George Clooney's from Ocean's Eleven, to enhance relatability and engagement.
06:00 - 06:30: The East India Company's Power The chapter titled 'The East India Company's Power' starts with a hypothetical scenario wherein one destroys merchandise at an international airport, hinting at significant consequences, particularly when the merchandise is owned by a company in which members of Congress have substantial stock holdings. This scenario alludes to the historical events in Boston, suggesting impending punishment, but emphasizes that the details will unfold later in the narrative, inviting readers to consider what actions might lead to such intense reactions from powerful entities.
06:30 - 07:00: Historical Context: Seven Years War The chapter explores the historical context that led to the Boston Tea Party, focusing on global factors. It discusses the role of the East India Company and revisits elements of the Seven Years War. Additionally, the chapter examines the Townshend Acts, which were instrumental in causing the second American tax crisis. These elements are crucial for understanding the dramatic events that followed, including the illegal acts carried out in response to these pressures.
07:00 - 07:30: The East India Company's Rule in Bengal The chapter begins by setting the stage for a discussion on the 1773 Tea Act, which marks the beginning of the third and final tax crisis in America. This sets off a chain of events, starting with the shipment of tea to the Americas under the new act, leading to a tense twenty-day period preceding the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The chapter promises to explore the aftermath and backlash following the infamous party, inviting readers to engage with the historical narrative.
07:30 - 08:00: The Stock Crisis and Government Involvement The chapter explores the historical events leading up to the destruction of 46 tons of tea by New England men in 1773, known as the Boston Tea Party. It emphasizes the need to understand the broader global context involving the East India Company, highlighting that the issues faced by colonial America were part of larger global economic and political dynamics. The mention of the East India Company serves as a gateway to discussing its influence and the broader implications of government involvement and economic crises. Additionally, it draws a cultural parallel by referencing popular media, specifically Pirates of the Caribbean, to suggest that viewers have an idea, albeit dramatized, of the company's historical footprint.
08:00 - 08:30: Reasons for the Tea Act This chapter explores the motivations behind the British Parliament enacting the Tea Act, using a popular culture reference to illustrate the historical context. By comparing the historical events to scenes from a well-known movie, the narrator draws parallels between Lord Cutler Beckett, an East India Company employee in the film 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' and the real-life political and economic strategies executed by British authorities. The narrative suggests that, just like Beckett's actions in the movie, the Tea Act was considered by its proponents as 'just good business,' highlighting the economic motivations underlying political decisions.
08:30 - 09:00: The Complications of Smuggled Tea The chapter titled 'The Complications of Smuggled Tea' discusses the influence and significant role of the 18th-century East India Company in Britain and globally. It highlights how the company was intertwined with major historical events such as the Seven Years War, which initially began with George Washington at Fort Necessity and escalated into a global conflict between France and Britain.
09:00 - 09:30: Response to Townsend Revenue Act The chapter discusses the significance of the Battle of Plassey, which occurred in 1757 in Bengal, an area now part of modern-day Bangladesh and the eastern part of India. In this battle, the British East India Company triumphed over France and its Bengali allies, marking a pivotal moment in British colonial history. Notably, it was the East India Company, not the British government, that achieved this victory.
09:30 - 10:00: Parliament's Measures and Reactions The chapter titled 'Parliament's Measures and Reactions' focuses on the East India Company and its role in colonial conflicts with France, particularly in Bengal. The company, which possessed its own army, became a prominent player in the geopolitical struggles between Britain and France that were also occurring in other regions like America's Ohio Valley. Following a significant battle, the East India Company came to rule Bengal outright for nearly a century, highlighting the extent of British colonial dominance in the region.
10:00 - 10:30: The Struggle with Tea and Taxation In the chapter titled 'The Struggle with Tea and Taxation,' the text discusses the powerful role of the East India Company in the 1770s. The Company ruled over Bengal and its 20 million inhabitants, essentially functioning as a governmental body. It imposed taxes and maintained its own military, illustrating a situation where a company wielded immense governmental authority, likened to a modern corporation like Coca-Cola having similar control.
10:30 - 11:00: Introducing the Tea Act of 1773 The chapter titled 'Introducing the Tea Act of 1773' opens with a light-hearted comment about joining the military as a Starbucks Frappuccino paratrooper, emphasizing that the situation discussed is not a joke. It swiftly moves on to introduce the East India Company, a significant player in British economic and colonial history since 1600. The company was already powerful, providing Britain with important goods such as spices, cotton, gold, and notably, tea. The narrative suggests a shift or introduction of a new rule that impacts the company's operations, specifically hinting at the crucial role of tea in this context, laying the groundwork for discussing the Tea Act of 1773.
11:00 - 11:30: The Journey of Tea to America The chapter "The Journey of Tea to America" describes the British obsession with the East India Company in the 1760s. Wealthy individuals rapidly purchase stock in the East India Company, akin to the rush for predatory loans in 2007. Meanwhile, the British government, noticing this trend, seeks a larger share of the company's revenue, already constituting about one-third of Britain's customs income.
11:30 - 12:00: The Arrival of Tea Ships in Boston The chapter discusses the arrival of tea ships in Boston and how it ties into the economic and political dynamics between the East India Company and the British government. The East India Company is portrayed as a massive and powerful entity essential for the British government's revenue, especially after the financial strains following the Seven Years War. The narrative highlights the significance of the company's influence, as depicted in popular media like pirate movies, and explains the discontent between the East India Company, Parliament, and the American colonies regarding tea trade.
12:00 - 12:30: The Tensions in Boston This chapter discusses the tensions arising in Boston due to the impact of smuggling on the East India Company's tea business. The company holds a legal monopoly over tea sales in the British Empire, including America, which makes smuggling their tea a lucrative and problematic issue. The specifics of why tea is particularly attractive to smugglers and how it undermines the company’s business operations is explored.
12:30 - 13:00: The Story of Francis Roche The chapter delves into the economic significance of tea to the East India Company, highlighting that tea constitutes nearly 50% of the company's income at the time. However, colonial Americans contribute to a burgeoning illegal trade by purchasing smuggled tea at nearly half the legal price, drawing a parallel to modern-day piracy of digital content. The narrative situates itself in 1757, touching upon the broader context of American economic practices in relation to British trade laws.
13:00 - 13:30: The Rising Conflict in the Colony The chapter focuses on the economic tensions in the American colonies, primarily driven by the widespread smuggling of tea. As noted by John KITT, a significant portion of the tea imported into Philadelphia was illegal, with only 16 out of 400 chests recorded legally over two years. Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson observed that smuggling was even more rampant in other cities, estimating over 80% in Boston and an even higher rate of about 90% in New York and Philadelphia. These statistics highlight the growing dissatisfaction and rebelliousness among the colonists against British trade regulations and taxes, fueling the rising conflict in the colonies.
13:30 - 14:00: Patriots' Strategies and Legal Hurdles This chapter delves into the strategies employed by the Patriots, focusing on smuggling tactics used to bring commodities like tea to America. It highlights Thomas Hancock's involvement, pointing out his family ties to John Hancock, and suggests that these activities, though illegal, were never proven in court. The chapter also touches on the idea that smuggled goods, contrary to counterfeit products, could be somewhat legitimized.
14:00 - 14:30: Governor Hutchinson's Role This chapter discusses Governor Hutchinson's role in the context of tea trade during the colonial times, particularly focusing on the differences between legal and smuggled tea. It explains that all tea originated from Canton, China, with the legality depending solely on whether it was transported by the East India Company. Smuggled tea, referred to as Dutch tea, was circulated despite its origins being elsewhere due to easy forgery of papers.
14:30 - 15:00: Customs Seizure and The Final Hours The chapter titled 'Customs Seizure and The Final Hours' discusses the challenges faced by the East India Company due to the competition from Dutch tea, which becomes indistinguishable from legal shipments quickly. It raises the question of how the company can compete and how Parliament can ensure the company's sales continue. To address this, the 1767 indemnity Act is introduced, which lowers the duty on black and cheap green teas sold in England and offers complete refunds on these duties.
15:00 - 15:30: The Dramatic Tea Destruction Begins The chapter titled 'The Dramatic Tea Destruction Begins' discusses the complexities of tea trade during the period, particularly focusing on the East India Company's operations. The East India Company ships tea to America via England, leading to higher costs compared to smuggled tea. However, they benefit from lower duties in England and can reclaim their expenses if the tea is sold, making it a significant point of interest in the trade dynamics.
15:30 - 16:00: Post-Destruction Reflections The chapter 'Post-Destruction Reflections' discusses the impact of changes in the tea trade following the implementation of the indemnity act. This act allowed the East India Company to offer tea at prices competitive with smuggler rates, leading to a significant increase in the volume of legally imported tea in American cities such as New York and Philadelphia within the first 18 months. Additionally, the act resulted in more British citizens consuming legal tea, highlighting that both Americans and Britons were involved in previous illicit activities related to tea.
16:00 - 16:30: Global Implications of the Event The chapter 'Global Implications of the Event' discusses the impact of the Townshend Revenue Act passed in 1767. The Act imposed duties on lead, different types of glass, paper, and tea. The law allowing for cheap Dutch tea indicates that the British were not more moral than the Americans regarding trade and taxes. Despite expecting improvements with the indemnity act, the Townshend Revenue Act continued to create economic pressure. This chapter revisits themes from an earlier episode, emphasizing the ongoing tension and complexities in British-American relations during this period.
16:30 - 17:00: Violence and Non-Violence in the Boston Tea Party The chapter discusses the tension between violence and non-violence during the Boston Tea Party. It begins with the context of British Parliament's efforts to have American colonists contribute more to the expenses of the Empire, a policy pursued since the Seven Years War ended in 1763. The Townshend Revenue Act, enacted after the unsuccessful sugar and Stamp Acts, aimed to fund civil officers in America through an external tax, under the belief that it would be acceptable to the American colonists.
17:00 - 17:30: Parliament's Reaction and Coercive Acts The chapter discusses the American reaction to the Stamp Act and the unconstitutional perception of any revenue-raising tax imposed by Parliament. This led to the rejection of the Townshend Revenue Act. Consequently, Boston was occupied by soldiers, culminating in the Boston Massacre. The chapter also notes some aspects of the Townshend Revenue Act not previously discussed, such as its necessity partly due to the indemnity act, which aimed to cover Parliament's financial losses.
17:30 - 18:00: Impending Revolution The chapter titled 'Impending Revolution' delves into the strategic economic maneuvers of the British Parliament and its implications on the American colonies. It discusses how the East India Company, backed by the Indemnity Act, became more competitive than smugglers, a decision that required balancing financial scales by imposing increased taxes in the American colonies. The text highlights a significant source of discontent: while some might find the imposition of higher taxes intolerable, it sheds light on a broader issue--the American colonies’ resistance to the Townshend Acts. Crucially, these acts highlight a profound truth: Americans fundamentally oppose external taxation, a sentiment that stokes the flames of revolutionary sentiment.
18:00 - 18:30: Closing Remarks and Call to Action In this chapter, the closing remarks center around the Patriots in America and their dissatisfaction with the Townshend Acts. The main contention is 'no taxation without representation.' In response to the Townshend Revenue Act, which taxes goods like tea, the Patriots organize a non-importation movement. This movement, a form of protest, involves boycotting British goods being taxed, signaling their resistance and desire for representation. The chapter prompts a reflection on the timing of these events, coinciding with increasing dissent.

4: "Boston Harbor A Tea-Pot This Night:" The Boston Tea Party Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 welcome to history that doesn't suck I'm your professor Greg Jackson and I'd like to tell you a story thirty to a hundred fifty men are gathering at Boston Harbor all of them are disguised to some degree some of them are completely decked out dressed as Indians and calling themselves Mohawks others have just
00:30 - 01:00 wrapped themselves in an old blanket some are just in plain old clothes but they have made sure to conceal their faces at the very least paint so whatever it takes to ensure they can't be recognized that's crucial in fact that's part of why a good number of them are dressed as Mohawks they're looking to pass as anything but Bostonians so the authorities can't pin them down later after they carry out the highly illegal activity plan for tonight
01:00 - 01:30 destroying shipments of tea weighing in at more than 46 tons and valued at nine thousand pounds British sterling I'm sure you can appreciate that 46 tons is a hell of a lot of tea but just in case 9,000 pounds sterling doesn't sound like a lot to you let me put it this way you could buy a home in 1770s Boston for roughly 200 pounds get the picture this is a fortune in tea and it will be
01:30 - 02:00 irreversibly destroyed tonight moving under the cover of night and armed with clubs sticks cutlasses and guns the group of unidentifiable men arrived at Griffin's Wharf located on Boston's southeast coast and no I don't mean the modern-day neighborhood of Southie not quite although we're close to where we'll reach some day right now in 1773 we're a few blocks east of the Boston
02:00 - 02:30 Common and the Sons of Liberty's beloved Liberty tree that's where you'll find Griffin's Wharf and tonight December 16th 1773 it's also where you'll find ships holding this vast fortune and tea our armed in disguised men have divided into three groups one for each ship you see the soon to be destroyed tea is divided all most evenly between three vessels the beaver the Eleanor and the Dartmouth the
02:30 - 03:00 beaver holds a hundred and twelve chests the Eleanor and the Dartmouth hold another 114 each all together that comes out to 340 chess weighing in around 400 to 450 pounds of piece this is no small task and yet every single one of these incredibly heavy 340 chests plus some smaller ones holding more expensive high-end tees will be emptied into Boston Harbor within three hours having
03:00 - 03:30 boarded our unknown vigilantes threatened the customs officers to get them off the ships now to work which is done by the light of lantern and torch some men head down into the hold on each of the three ships where they rigged up the block and tackle pole is needed to lift the heavy chests up they go landing on the ship's deck next come two axes they make short work of the first chest and throw the lid open given their weight no one is simply lifting up the chests
03:30 - 04:00 and pouring the tightly packed dry leaves overboard no first comes the shoveling only after relieving them of one to two hundred pounds can the remaining tea in the chest still nearly a hundred pounds when empty be poured out into the harbor below with its former contents absolutely an incontestable ruined the chest too now goes overboard splash it crashes down into the cold dark water another chest falls behind it and
04:00 - 04:30 another and another they're dropping quickly Royal Navy warships said only a few hundred yards away has the tea's destroyed the 64th regiment is housed across the harbour at Castle Island it isn't likely they will do anything their quest of a civil magistrate or even one of the customs officers could put them in motion though I wonder how many of our unnamed T demolitionists are thinking about this do any of them pause to look out across the dark night toward
04:30 - 05:00 the Royal Navy ships or Castle Island and get a shiver down their spines or are they so drunk on adrenaline and confidence well and maybe just drunk on rum that they fear nothing a young woman in bostonia named Elizabeth Palmer will tell her grandson years no decades after tonight what happened to her at this point she hears her front gate open instantly she figures it's her husband Joseph coming home after hanging out
05:00 - 05:30 with his friends at the club to her horror though she looks out and well in her own words quote there stood three stout looking Indians I screamed and should have fainted a very fright had I not recognize my husband's voice saying don't be frightened Betsy it is I we have only been making a little saltwater tea Joseph this dude he just helped carry out what today's American court system would likely charge as
05:30 - 06:00 felony grave malicious destruction of property and he coolly calls this making a little saltwater tea who is this guy it's like a line out of a movie he sounds like an early 2000s George Clooney in Ocean's eleven now we've come to call tonight's actions the Boston Tea Party and the name itself really downplays the seriousness of what has just been done put this in perspective if today you and your friends broke into
06:00 - 06:30 whatever International Airport is closest to you and destroyed oh I don't know maybe a few million dollars worth of merchandise owned by a company in which several member of Congress held substantial amounts of stock how do you think that would turn out for you oh that might be a bit of a spoiler but things are not gonna go well for Boston after this punishment is coming but let's not get ahead of ourselves what would it take to push you
06:30 - 07:00 to the point of doing something this dramatic this illegal and again what would you expect to happen next I want to answer these very questions about the Boston Tea Party to do so we need to understand the global factors that led to it this includes the East India Company and revisiting the Seven Years War with a few details we left out previously we also need to revisit the Townshend Acts that caused the second American tax crisis so we can add a few
07:00 - 07:30 more applicable details then I'll introduce you to the 1773 Tea Act that's going to create a third and final tax crisis in America after this we can get into the tea sent to the Americas under this new tea act and the tense twenty days leading up to the Boston Tea Party on December 16 1773 then once the party has happened we can talk about the backlash so get yourself a cup of tea or a cup a Joe if you're a patriot and
07:30 - 08:00 let's get to it to understand why a small group of New England men eventually made the drastic decision to destroy 46 tons of tea 1773 we have to take a second and introduce you to the East India Company and we have to think globally see colonial America and its problems aren't happening in a vacuum if you've seen the second and third Pirates of the Caribbean movies then you've gotten a small Hollywood eyes taste of the East India Company
08:00 - 08:30 do you remember Lord Cutler Beckett you'd know him if you saw the movies again he's the jerk of an East India Company employee who stops William Turner and Elizabeth swans wedding in the second film then satisfactorily gets blown to smithereens at the end of the third you know that part right he's walking down the stairs on the deck of his ship as he gets annihilated by cannons on both sides just before he dies he says softly it's just good business
08:30 - 09:00 boom well he's fictional but there was a real historical east india company the East India Company of the 18th century wields enormous power in Britain and in the world in fact it plays an enormous role in the Seven Years War you remember the Seven Years War right the one that started with George Washington at Fort Necessity in Episode one that then turned into a worldwide war between France and Britain yeah there it is
09:00 - 09:30 again that war just does not stop being relevant well the British won in really important battle during that war called the Battle of Plassey this 1757 battle took place in Bengal which is roughly located in modern Bangladesh and the most eastern part of India in this battle the British East India Company defeated France and it's Bengali allies yes you heard that right it wasn't the British government
09:30 - 10:00 fighting France and it's Bengali allies it was the East India Company the company this company has its own army this was another part of the world where France and Britain's colonial aspirations were coming to a head just as they were back in America's Ohio Valley at the same time you know where George was after this battle the East India Company flat out rules in Bengal for roughly a century until the British
10:00 - 10:30 crown takes it over so are you following this a company was the government so in our 1770s world the East India Company literally rules in Bengal and hand over its 20 million inhabitants the East India Company taxes them the East India Company has its own military can you imagine that it'd be like filing your taxes next April with coca-cola or maybe listening
10:30 - 11:00 to your friends say yeah I'm joining the military I'm going to enlist with starbucks Frappuccino paratrooper you but seriously I'm sure you can see how valuable this new rule in bingo makes the East India Company back in Britain existing since 1600 the company was already a formidable enterprise supplying britain with spices cotton gold and among other things tea but the thing to know right now is that since
11:00 - 11:30 taking over and bingo everyone in Britain wants a piece of the East India Company and so those with the means in the 1760s start over buying East India Company stock faster than mortgage officers gave up predatory loans in 2007 while the speculative stock buying is going on the British government decides it needs a bigger slice of the East India Company as well now Britain already gets roughly 1/3 of all its customs revenue from the East India
11:30 - 12:00 Company but it takes another cut after this rule and Bengal stuff gets going I'm sure you can see then how the East India Company is massive powerful and the British government whose coffers have been hurting since the Seven Years War literally need the East India Company's revenue to keep going are you starting to see why this company was so powerful in the pirates movies and neither the East India Company nor Parliament appreciate all the tea
12:00 - 12:30 smuggling that's taking what they both see as the company's legitimate business away from them look we've discussed America's love for smuggling in past episodes but we haven't talked about why tea specifically is a Smuggler's dream and why it hurts the East India Company so much well the East India Company has a legal monopoly on tea in the British Empire it alone can legally sell tea in Britain and in the American colonies and teas
12:30 - 13:00 crucial to the company's well-being by this point tea makes up just under 50% of the East India Company's total income but smuggled tea can be bought in America for about half the legal price so what do you think colonial Americans buy yeah just like their descendants today who blow off that FBI warning and download pirated movies colonial Americans buy up that smuggle tea in fact most tea bought in America at this point his smuggled in 1757 a mr.
13:00 - 13:30 John KITT estimated that 400 chests of tea had come to Philadelphia in the past two years of those 400 only 16 had come legally in 1771 Massachusetts governor Thomas Hutchinson speculated that over 80% of the tea drunk in Boston arrived via smuggling he figured it was even higher in New York and Philly probably closer to 90% oh and by the way some of
13:30 - 14:00 that smuggled tea got to the Americas courtesy of Thomas Hancock yes John Hancock's uncle and father figure apple doesn't fall far from the tree huh never proved in court and you know what's really convenient about smuggle tea unlike that fake Louis Vuitton handbag your cousin picked up on our last vacation this isn't a faux product in fact smuggled tea can be legitimized
14:00 - 14:30 rather easily because all tea comes from the same place Canton China the only difference between legal tea and smuggled tea is whether it came on an East India Company ship or not otherwise it is the exact same product this isn't a knockoff and since falsified papers are easy enough to get smuggled tea commonly supplied by the Dutch and thus known as Dutch tea even when it does come from France Sweden or elsewhere can
14:30 - 15:00 become indistinguishable from legal shipments really quickly so what's the East India Company to do how does it compete with all this Dutch tea perhaps more importantly what can Parliament do to make sure this company which is the most important revenue source for the Empire sell more tea well that's where the 1767 indemnity Act comes in this lowers the duty on black and cheap green teas sold in England it will also refund completely the
15:00 - 15:30 duties paid in England if that tea is being taken to America and yes the tea's gonna pass through England not be shipped directly to America that's part of why East India Company tea is more expensive generally than what the smugglers provide at any rate now the East India Company pays a lower duty when the tea gets to England and more important to our interest today it gets the money back if it sells that
15:30 - 16:00 tea in the Americas this lets the East India Company compete far more effectively with smuggler prices and it works legally imported tea rose by 42% in new york and a hundred percent in philadelphia within the first 18 months of the indemnity act going into effect and the lower duty in britain itself also got more of the britain's to drink more legal tea oh wait you didn't think americans were the only ones breaking
16:00 - 16:30 the law to get the cheap Dutch tea did you nah the British were no more moral on this point than their American counterparts now lest we get the impression things are going to get better for Americans with the indemnity act we need to revisit another act passed in the same year of 1767 the Townshend Revenue Act remember this we talked about it in episode 3 quick refresher it imposed duties on lead different types of glass paper and yes tea because you see
16:30 - 17:00 Parliament's still trying to get the Americans to shoulder more of the costs of the Empire in North America as it has been trying to do since the end of the Seven Years War in 1763 so remember the Townshend Revenue Act which followed the failed sugar and Stamp Acts is intended to pay for the civil officers stationed in America it's also an external tax so many in Parliament thought Americans would be ok with it
17:00 - 17:30 given American rhetoric during the fight over the Stamp Act we know better though many Americans consider any revenue raising tax imposed by Parliament as unconstitutional and so they reject the Townshend Revenue Act which results in Boston getting occupied by soldiers and eventually the Boston Massacre remember well here's some Townshend stuff we didn't talk about last time first the Townshend Revenue Act was partly needed because of the indemnity act the money Parliament lost making the
17:30 - 18:00 East India Company more competitive with smugglers through the indemnity Act had to be made up somewhere and this is it basically Parliament gave people in Britain a tax break by increasing taxes in America and while that might be enough to upset some let's also point out that the fact that Americans are fighting the Townshend Acts also proves that they aren't in fact ok with external taxes these acts reveal a deeper truth Americans do not approve of
18:00 - 18:30 Parliament taxing them period internal-external makes no difference no taxation without representation okay so the Patriots in America aren't down with the Townshend Acts at all so how do they respond by organizing a non importation movement meaning they won't buy British goods being taxed by the Townshend Revenue Act like tea by the way did you notice the timing and all of this this nonimportation movement goes down while
18:30 - 19:00 Boston's occupied by soldiers and you know what is really really crazy Parliament breaks down and does a partial repeal of the Townshend Act on March 5th 1770 does that date sound familiar it should that's the same day as the Boston Massacre - bad news travelled so slow back then huh but the one big Townshend Duty Parliament left
19:00 - 19:30 in place was the one the Patriots hated the most the duty on tea and yes this was intentional while keeping the tea Duty meant keeping a revenue stream alive sure that's great in all part of the reason for keeping this in place was to send America the message Parliament can and will tax you at its pleasure now things are hardly perfect between America and the crown between 1770 and 1773 but things are relatively calm
19:30 - 20:00 so where is the trouble brewing that's going to make this kettle boil over it's back with the East India Company which is making some terrible decisions see the East India Company isn't doing so hot by 1770 remember how I told you it rules a part of southern Asia at this point bingo and remember that bit about Britain's in the 1760s buying up East India stock by crazy yeah that
20:00 - 20:30 investment bubble bursts in 1769 that year a drought hits bingo over a million people died while this enormous loss of human life is going on the company is neither a responsible enterprise nor government may I remind you that as the people of Bengal die the East India Company is their actual government now as a government the company does little to stem the death and suffering
20:30 - 21:00 occurring in Bengal and as a company its stock prices are taking a nosedive but does it enact internal reforms no not at all instead it continues pain insanely large salaries to its top agents and shelling out handsome dividends to its stockholders their dividend rate gets as high as 12 and a half percent who twelve and a half percent tell you what who would not want
21:00 - 21:30 that kind of return maybe I don't run in rich enough circles but that kind of easy and consistent return is unheard of to me now considering the British Empire's financial health is linked to the East India Company why is it Parliament doing something to rein this in I mean even if we just shut down our humanity and forget about that million people dying for a second why isn't Parliament worked up about the East
21:30 - 22:00 India Company's tumbling stocks hmm I wonder if that might have something to do with many of the company's shareholders that are receiving these massive dividends also being members of parliament I think so because Parliament let's this go on for a few years eventually though the East India Company bleeds too much it all hits the fan at 1772 when the only other institution as big and powerful as the
22:00 - 22:30 East India Company in Britain puts its foot down yes this is the Bank of England it refuses to give the East India Company alone making the massive dividends evaporate overnight whoa suddenly Parliament is really concerned about the East India Company's vitality and health amazing how that concern just coincided with the dividends ending Parliament passes a few regulating acts
22:30 - 23:00 to get the company back under control we have to remember Parliament can't afford to let the East India Company actually go under the Empire's finances are tied to the company so Parliament's also going to give the East India Company a nice 1.4 million pound loan and the means to ensure it gets back in the black by giving the company even tighter control over the sale of tea and the Americas so basically America will pay
23:00 - 23:30 for the East India Company being irresponsible in southern Asia and for looking out for shareholders over the vitality and health of the company and the British people for the last few years Parliament sets this scenario up with the 1773 tea act this tea act will become the third tax crisis in less than 10 years it really pisses off Americans well I'm going to increasingly start to say Patriots we're getting to the point
23:30 - 24:00 that it's necessary to specify that there are after all Americans who remain loyal to the crown anyhow the Tea Act pisses off Patriots for a few reasons first it kept the tax from the Townshend Act the three pence per pound duty this is especially scary to Patriots because of its future implications see it's not even about what it's costing them today really it's showing Parliament can indeed tax the colonies now
24:00 - 24:30 Parliament did clearly reassert this right in 1766 with its decla Tory act on the heels of repealing the sugar act but this is not a view that the Patriots share and this is a philosophical and principled difference case in point the Tea Act would technically make legal tea even cheaper for Americans because even as the three pence Duty stays in place Parliament is going to give the East India Company a rebate on the tea sold there so the price really isn't the
24:30 - 25:00 issue taxation and representation are okay second issue the Tea Act would raise funds to pay officers in the Americas so if colonial legislative bodies aren't raising the funds that takes the loyalty and the leverage in this relationship out of colonial hands and puts it into Parliament's finally a third issue the East India Company would pick its own consignees or agents we'll just call them agents and sell the tea directly to them so no more free market
25:00 - 25:30 competition in London between both English and American merchants now Parliament sees this as a great way to just reduce the East India Company's costs shore up its sales and thus ensure the Empire's finances but remember Americans don't just drink the tea they sell it in this arrangement while beneficial to the large East India Company and the Empire could potentially endanger the livelihood of a number of Americans okay the stage is set but in case you got a
25:30 - 26:00 little lost which I can get this is a lot of stuff let me sum up the East India Company really was important enough to be in the pirate movies we cannot overstate this point kidding aside we want to remember the East India Company has a legal monopoly on all tea sold in the 18th century British Empire but even so most tea in the Empire is smuggled called Dutch and hard to stop since he comes from legal or not the
26:00 - 26:30 same place which is China we also want to keep in mind how the Seven Years War has once again shown its importance it's done so in three ways first it created massive war debt the Parliament has been trying to pay down since the war ended in 1763 and Parliament's using its entire global Empire to deal with this debt so America is just one piece in this larger worldwide chess game second over in America the Seven Years War led to all that new territory
26:30 - 27:00 for Britain east of the Mississippi River and that costs money to occupy and govern between these costs and Parliament kind of blaming America for the war Britain's been trying to get more and more money from Americans through taxes but as it's done so with one failed effort after another first the Sugar Act and Stamp Act second the Townshend program Parliament has continued to alienate America where many of its subjects have a deeply different
27:00 - 27:30 understanding of taxation and representation and this brings us to the third impact of the Seven Years War it led to the East India Company taking power in Bengal and this caused speculative stock purchases in the company eventually the stock prices crashed and Parliament was forced to bail out this too-big-to-fail company with the 1773 Tea Act and since this Tea Act is aimed at the American colonies it now ties all the problems caused by the
27:30 - 28:00 Seven Years War together as Patriot Americans prepare to refuse the tea who okay are you feeling good I'm good me too let's send some tea to America shall we September 27th 1773 seven ships carrying East India Company tea depart from London for the Americas three ships are heading to the ports of New York Philadelphia and Charleston
28:00 - 28:30 none of them are successful ventures for the East India Company both Philadelphia and New York refused the tea flatout the respective ships that went to each city sailed back having never unloaded their cargo in Charleston the tea is unloaded and left in a damp Customs House to spoil for other ships are destined for Boston one of these doesn't make it to the harbor pushed by strong winds the William hits rocks just off Cape Cod
28:30 - 29:00 Massachusetts the remaining three however the beaver the Eleanor and the Dartmouth they do arrive starting with the Dartmouth on November 28th 1773 and they will be the obsession of Boston for the next 20 days and why you might wonder for the next 20 days because of an act of parliament from 1660 - that
29:00 - 29:30 was extended to the colonies in 1696 in accordance with this act a ship's cargo could not be unloaded or cleared to leave for export even if it stayed on the same ship until all duties had been paid if the duties remained unpaid after 20 days the customs officers would seize the cargo by force if necessary off of the vessel so in this scenario if those 20 days expire
29:30 - 30:00 then the tea gets unloaded the three pence per gallon duties on the tea get paid the people buy it and the Sons of Liberty and other Patriots lose Parliament in the East India Company when so the Sons of Liberty have a 20-day deadline from the moment the Dartmouth enters Boston Harbor on the morning of November 28th 1773 to get this damned tea out of Boston they have until the clock strikes 12:00 a.m.
30:00 - 30:30 midnight December 17th before the tea is seized by customs officers tick tock tick tock tick tock so Sunday November 28th 11 a.m. 20 days until customs seizure captain hall anchors the Dartmouth in Boston's Harbor the 64 gun ship the line the captain is only a few hundred yards
30:30 - 31:00 away to customs agents board the Dartmouth weather the captain wants it or not his cargo has been noted Boston selectmen seek out the East India Company's agents you know the guys who got the contract to sell the companies T leading all other merchants out in the cold by the way it might be worth mentioning that the governor's own sons number among these agents at any rate no dice they can't track down the agents when they
31:00 - 31:30 are finally in touch with the people the agents make it clear they will not agree to send back the T November 29th 19 days until customs seizure some five to six thousand Bostonians or to put that another way one third of the town's inhabitants gather at the Old South meeting house to address this tea business it's near present-day Downtown Crossing this meeting has some big hitter Patriots in attendance some of
31:30 - 32:00 whose names will sound familiar to you Samuel Adams John Hancock dr. Joseph Warren dr. Thomas young William Molina Josiah Quincy there's a mr. francis roach at this meeting too only 23 years old and a peacekeeping quaker francis is stuck between a rock and a hard place he's one of the owners of the dartmouth and since the East India Company's agents won't Bend
32:00 - 32:30 the Patriots are now putting the pressure on him crowd let him know that if he or his captain let the tea get unloaded quote it would be at their peril ah this poor soul I feel for Francis he's contracted to deliver this tea he has pressure from the East India Company its agents and let's not forget he's legally bound to declare his cargo to customs he faces serious consequences if he fails to deliver on these points but he's also got roughly 5,000
32:30 - 33:00 Bostonians threatening him if he does deliver the tea this poor guy just wants to free up his ship so he can export some New England whale oil the Patriots also decide to leave an armed guard of 25 men to prevent anyone trying to take the cargo of tea from the ship December 1st 16 days until customs seizure the Dartmouth is relocated within Boston Harbor to Griffin's Wharf December 2nd 15 days
33:00 - 33:30 until customs seizure the second T ship the Eleanor arrives in Boston the same day a poster went up notifying the public that anyone who helps to unload the T will be treated quote as wretches on worthy to live and will be made the first victims of our just resentment signed the people December 3rd 14 days until customs seizure
33:30 - 34:00 Boston's Committee of Correspondence a Patriot group created to organize resistance to the sugar and currency acts almost a decade ago is taking an active role in overseeing this tea resistance effort - they communicate with the Eleanor's captain captain Bruce and make sure he leaves the ship at Griffin's Wharf this way the Patriots won't have to organize another armed guard both tea ships can be watched by the same group December 7th
34:00 - 34:30 nine days until customs seizure a third to ship the beaver is seen approaching Boston deadly smallpox has broken out on the ship so it spends a week at nearby Rainsford island being smoked and cleansed the Boston Gazette reports soon that the beaver will come quote not only with the plague T on board but also with the smallpox they had witty writers there at the Gazette meanwhile the Essex Gazette
34:30 - 35:00 newspaper publishes a warning that Boston will fight if the tea is unloaded December 7th also sees a distraught Francis Roche out trying to save his own skin Francis and his captain go to the fort on Castle Island where the East India Company's agents are more or less hiding out with the British military unit as this stuff all blows over Francis wants to pass the buck he tells the agents he is ready to deliver the tea to them so if it stays on his ship
35:00 - 35:30 it's their fault for not taking it they refuse to get Francis the proper documentation to release him from responsibility which of course selfishly that makes sense they know there's no way they will get that tea off Francis's ship with those 25 Patriots guarding it so why would they want to take the fall when they can keep it on Francis's shoulders when captain Bruce of the Eleanore tries the same thing a few days later he gets the
35:30 - 36:00 exact same response December 10th seven days left until customs seizure the fourth Boston bound ship the William won't make it the vessel crashes at Cape Cod December 13th four days until custom seizure things are tense Boston's Patriots have already heard that the East India Company's agents in New York and Philly have agreed not to
36:00 - 36:30 sell the tea once the ships arrive they will simply send them back to England so the pressure is on for Boston to follow through to the Committee of Correspondence holds another meeting poor Francis the owner of the Dartmouth has to face the committee they've reminded him that he promised in November to send back the tea when the ship arrived will Francis stick to his word he tells them he can't he's talked it over with lawyers including John
36:30 - 37:00 Adams and knows his ship could be seized if he does he doesn't want to lose the ship meanwhile the Boston Gazette publishes the same warning the Essex Gazette did a week ago December 14th three days until customs seizure it's a Tuesday morning in another large meeting of thousands of Bostonians is happening in the Old South meeting house captain Bruce concedes to take the Eleanor back to England with the tea provided he can
37:00 - 37:30 unload all other cargo though he also notes his concern for the cannon on Castle Island the crowd also pressures Francis into requesting clearance for the Dartmouth a group of ten men accompany Francis as he goes to see the man who can give him this clearance the port's collector Richard Harrison do you remember Richard we met him in Episode three he was the 18 year old beaten by Bostonians that day in June 1768 when his father played
37:30 - 38:00 a role in the hms romney seizing john hancock ship the Liberty remember how the Bostonians threw rocks at him grabbed him by his arms legs the hair of his head well it's been five years and now he's in a position of power to help or hurt the Patriots cause what do you think his answer will be well he says he needs to think about it and he does in fact talk it over with his colleague the Comptroller December 15th two days until
38:00 - 38:30 customs seizure that morning Francis again accompanied by Patriots goes back to see the collector Richard Francis admits to Richard his request is made under duress Richard says he cannot grant clearance for the Dartmouth it beam quote utterly inconsistent with my duty francis goes to see massachusetts naval officer he could also grant the
38:30 - 39:00 pass again he gets a no this same day the now smallpox free beaver joins the other two ships successfully arrived with their tea at Griffin's Wharf December 16 1773 customs seizure becomes legal at midnight to night 10:00 a.m. some 5000 people meet at the Old South meeting house roughly two thousand are
39:00 - 39:30 from the country surrounding Boston it suggested that maybe they let the tea get unloaded then they can exact revenge on people who helped this happen like Francis as well as anyone else who buys it Francis yet again is asked to get the Dartmouth out of there this time they're telling him to just do it even without permission again he states his ship will be seized there's only one hope then at this point Francis would have to get
39:30 - 40:00 permission from Governor Thomas Hutchinson now Thomas is Abbas born and bred in fact his family's almost as old blood as a New Englander can be they've been here since 1634 the Hutchinson's are a respectable Bunch and Thomas is no exception born in 1711 the future governor began investing the overseas opportunities while still a student at Harvard he's got a slim build fair complexion and is known for his
40:00 - 40:30 intelligence and rational and judgment but he's also a bit like Javert and Victor Hugo's Lane is a lab no sense of humor and a strict law abiders he loved his wife dearly in life and never remarried after her death these are admirable traits but as you can imagine Thomas isn't exactly a hit at parties if you could actually get him to a party in fact as a law loving loyalist he's not a hit anywhere in Boston these days basically Boston dislikes him about
40:30 - 41:00 as much as they love John Hancock so yes he's a very respectable man but these traits aren't ideal for finding a compromise over this tea business in fact before we let Francis go talk to him let's note just how much power Thomas has by comparing the situation in Boston with the other cities receiving East India Company tea after all you might be wondering since this 20 days to
41:00 - 41:30 seize your business applies to all the colonies shouldn't this be a problem in New York Philly and Charleston as well how did they all get out of this well the quick and dirty version is that the customs officers and governors in these other colonies were willing to compromise for example New York's governor stated his willingness to work this out before the ships ever arrived Pennsylvania's governor he just knew better than to step into it period but in Boston well Massachusetts governor
41:30 - 42:00 Thomas Hutchinson won't have any of that if this is to be worked out it has to be done without any rule bending and so with only a half day left before seizure the 5,000 strong group at the old South meeting house agreed to let Francisco talk with the govenor the meeting would reconvene at 3 p.m. to hear what was said the talk wasn't completely pointless Francis proposed that his ship could start to
42:00 - 42:30 leave the harbor then one of the cannons from the fort on Castle Island could fire a shot across the Dartmouth bow well then the Dartmouth would have to stop and really Bostonians can ask anything more of him Thomas thought this was a good idea but when they started to get into the logistics it fell apart Francis wasn't comfortable letting the Royal Navy protect his ship while it prepared to sail as Thomas wanted Francis feared a reaction from the
42:30 - 43:00 Patriot Sons of Liberty guarding his ship at this point the logical non sentimental law-abiding Thomas concluded there was nothing to be done he could not give permission would not give permission without the Customs House is blessing 3 p.m. customs seizure becomes legal in 9 hours the Patriots reconvene at the Old South meeting house but Francis isn't back
43:00 - 43:30 from meeting with the governor 5 p.m. customs seizure becomes legal in 7 hours and still no Francis 5:45 p.m. customs seizure becomes legal in 6 hours and 15 minutes it's getting dark candles and torches are lit Francis arrives he tells the assembled body of Bostonians and other New Englanders that the governor said no the Patriot dr. Thomas Young
43:30 - 44:00 defends Francis at this point and asks yet again Francis if he will not send the ship back again no Francis cannot it would destroy him financially to lose his ship well then will he unload the T Francis says he will only allow the T to be unloaded if the government officials order him to do so otherwise no way oh
44:00 - 44:30 poor Francis can you imagine the pressure and fear he must have felt answering these questions in front of these thousands of angry Bostonians and New Englanders and after going through this for the better part of three weeks well at this point Samuel Adams chimes in he says nothing more can be done for the salvation of their country the meeting votes to say that Francis has done his due diligence all
44:30 - 45:00 relief for him I am sure suddenly war whoops fill the air a group of eighteen to twenty men who appear to resemble Indians stand at the meeting houses door pause for a second the Boston Tea Party is about to go down but before I go any further do you see what Sam just did and why these tea destroying New Englanders are dressed up as Indians think about it Sam has just stated publicly that there
45:00 - 45:30 is nothing more to be done that all the five thousand Patriots present at this meeting will do nothing more now I'm not the first to say this but I agree with it this all sounds really really staged feels like a public denunciation for plausible deniability for the whole town later and by having these supposed Indians show up to destroy the Tea Indians all being outsiders to the
45:30 - 46:00 European colonial American community it underscores the idea that none of the Patriots involved in the tea protests including its leaders like Sam and John Hancock could have been involved in the teas destruction see this feels really staged looking back in hindsight perhaps even obvious and yet considered at the time kind of genius ok back to the story a mob a mob some cry the Mohawks are
46:00 - 46:30 come call others is a newly arrived group of supposed Indians give out their war whoops and whistle whistle like boat swings which is an officer on a ship which would sound pretty familiar to a seafaring town like Boston not that we're under the impression these guys really are Indians but kind of interesting to hear Indians
46:30 - 47:00 using whistles of sailors no more cries are made every man to his tent hurrah for Griffin's Wharf and my personal favorite Boston Harbor a teapot this a night the thousands of New Englanders at the Old South meeting house are so ruckus so loud that a merchant named John Andrews hears them from his home three blocks away the noise disturbs his evening tea yeah he's drinking tea right then I am
47:00 - 47:30 NOT making this up anyhow as the crowd leaves the meeting house the Sons of Liberty's leaders stay behind once again think about how this is being staged possibly that can't be proved but with them staying behind no one will be able to claim these leaders were at the tea party well no one will be able to prove
47:30 - 48:00 they were at the tea party and since then it has been claimed that william molina dr. thomas young and paul revere all participated but again we will never really know these Mohawks as they call themselves and so we'll call them these Mohawks whose exact numbers we will never know descend through the town towards Griffin's Wharf it is said that while passing over Fort Hill they came
48:00 - 48:30 across a British officer now the story is doubtful but it's really good seeing them the officer draws his sword at this one of the supposed Mohawks pulls out a pistol and says to the officer the path is wide enough for us all we have nothing to do with you and intend you no harm if you keep your own way peaceably we shall keep ours the officer lets them pass and although the record doesn't say it I imagine that Mo had impeccable English with a solid New
48:30 - 49:00 England accent if not a Bostonian accent the Mohawks arrive at Griffin's Wharf the Navy and the soldiers at Castle Island can hear them but will not intervene it's for the best both sides remember the Boston Massacre that happened only a bit further north from the wharf three years ago no need to repeat that meanwhile on lookers throng the wharf lanterns and torches light the
49:00 - 49:30 work by some accounts we started with the Dartmouth my others the destruction occurred on all three ships at the same time on each ship the Mohawks removed the customs officers and asked the crew to stay out of the way at times these interactions are almost laughable for instance as the 21 year old participant and future Revolutionary War general evany zur Stevens boards the Dartmouth he sees the ships may Alexander Hodgdon he knows Alexander after all he's going
49:30 - 50:00 to be his brother-in-law in the near future what can I say Boston's a small town in 1773 hence the need for disguises still better not to take chances urban e's are quickly disembarked and makes his way to another ship on the beaver the captain begs at the rest of his cargo be spared his ship has only arrived at Griffin's Wharf yesterday after all and reply our fake Mohawks asked for more candles so they can
50:00 - 50:30 better see in the hold and be careful with all ninety Goods the mate hands over the keys to help prevent damage to the ship and so the work is carried out block-and-tackle hoist the chests men break them open with axes hundreds of pounds of tea are shoveled and poured out the 80 to 90 pound chest is then thrown overboard as well splash all the combined 340 chests of tea on the Dartmouth the Eleanor and the beaver are
50:30 - 51:00 heaved into the cold waters over the course of some three hours total weight of tea destroyed 46 tons total cost to the East India Company 9659 pounds all the work is done by 9:00 p.m. three hours before customs could seize the tea the Mohawks from the elaborately disguised to those with just a blanket or sit on their face head home
51:00 - 51:30 as do the observers and for most of them home is likely only a few blocks away and many won't return to drinking tea for example William Russell went home that night and carefully emptied the tea stuck in his boots into this fire he then dumped his family's tea into the fire the following day he made a new label for their tea container coffee yeah the popularity of tea will never recover from tonight and coffee will rise in its stead throughout America
51:30 - 52:00 no wonder Boston's love affair with Dunkin Donuts is focused on a cup of joe not their tea so the tea party is done but there's a bit to unpack here first let me point out how surprisingly global the Boston Tea Party was you know for an event so localized it's named after a specific town the tea comes from China its transported by the East India Company whose financial problems are partly due to its less than stellar
52:00 - 52:30 leadership in Bengal southern Asia the company's competition is smuggled tea coming from Swedish French and Dutch merchants and how's the tea sweetened by sugar grown on plantations in the Caribbean who works these plantations slaves from Africa meanwhile the New Englanders destroying the tea in December 1773 many of whom have never traveled far from home at all they haven't even left their home colony many
52:30 - 53:00 cases dress as American Indians while protesting a government in England you know it's funny we talk about globalization today like it's new there's nothing new about it the Boston Tea Party is the epitome of America it's non-violent civil disobedience protest standing up against government overreach excessive taxation and more to the point taxation without representation but the Boston Tea Party is also
53:00 - 53:30 destructive law-breaking and if not violent against people violent against private property so it has positive and negative legacies it's something to think about on violence let me add that no one was killed and very few got injured the biggest accidental injury happened to John Crane one of the tea chests swung out and struck him while he was working in the hold of a ship it knocked him out initially thought to be dead his friends were relieved to find
53:30 - 54:00 him still breathing the only other injuries were far smaller these tended to be people who tried to steal some tea for instance Charles Conner got a good beating he was a participant in the Tea Party but got caught trying to stuff tea in his pockets nope patriots weren't having any of that but I still consider the Tea Party an example of non-violent civil disobedience the Patriots did not attack any government officials or the crews
54:00 - 54:30 well Bostonians grasp that this was a big deal future US President John Adams wrote this about the Boston Tea Party in his journal the following day quote this is the most magnificent movement of all there is a dignity majesty a sublime a tea in this last effort of the Patriots that I greatly admire this destruction of tea is so bold so daring so firm intrepid and inflexible and it must have so important consequences in so lasting
54:30 - 55:00 that I cannot but consider it in a polka in history oh but in truth John had no idea and I want you to listen closely are you ready for this the bombshell Parliament's reaction is what's going to really push the colonies into revolution of all the actions taken against the crown because of the three tax crises since 1763 the rioting beating officials and non importation the Boston Tea Party
55:00 - 55:30 is arguably the worst offender of them all this massive destruction of property that indirectly but significantly hurts Parliament's already poorly managed in empty coffers carried out by unnamed assailants no less requires a response that response is the coercive acts of 1774 and if that sounds nasty it's because it is the point is to hurt
55:30 - 56:00 Boston in to hurt the whole colony of Massachusetts there are four acts in total one the Boston port act as of June 1st 1774 the port of Boston is closed period closed until the entire cost of the destroyed tea is repaid to the East India Company can you imagine how many people this hurts Boston is a seaport town its economy depends on the port to administration of
56:00 - 56:30 justice act the governor of Massachusetts can now transfer any government official or soldier accused of a capital crime to another colony or to Britain itself for trial beyond the philosophical issues this stings for a city that just acquitted captain Preston and most of his men charged in the Boston Massacre only a few years earlier three the Massachusetts Government Act it changes the Massachusetts charter the council is no longer elected it is crown
56:30 - 57:00 appointed also all town meetings other than annually elections now require the governor's written permission for the quartering act if a colonial town did not provide barracks to British troops within 24 hours all colonial governor's now had the power to quarter troops in I quote uninhabited houses outhouses barns or other buildings as he shall think necessary to be taken now this act does
57:00 - 57:30 make quoting soldiers in this fashion illegal so technically it's in line with the wording of the 1689 English Bill of Rights but I would argue we are definitely in a gray area so these four acts collectively known as the coercive acts show not just Massachusetts but all the American colonies that Parliament will shall at the many for the sins of the few and this this is going to turn the tide there will still be talk of
57:30 - 58:00 reconciliation and genuine efforts to right the relationship between the crown and the colonies but all of this will fail war is coming the revolution is coming so next time we'll get to that but first I want to thank you for listening this is episode 4 so thanks for sticking with me I hope you're enjoying it as much as I enjoy making this for you I'm new to this podcast stuff but I'm told that having a few
58:00 - 58:30 hundred listeners one month in is good so I'll take it I am trying to grow this though so please share and subscribe to history that doesn't suck and please review it as well on whatever platform you're listening to it on would you do me that solid I'd appreciate it by the way if you did sip a hot cup of tea or coffee while listening to the episode please take a photo of that post it for your fellow loyalists or Patriots to enjoy on history that doesn't sucks
58:30 - 59:00 facebook or instagram page and if you're loving this podcast and think the biweekly just isn't frequent enough or if you want early access to the episodes that are coming out or any of the other extra stuff that I offer subscribe on patreon that's found at patreon.com slash history that doesn't suck well no more tea and crumpets it's about to get real next time we'll head to the First Continental Congress to meet some founding fathers revisit a few that we've already met and possibly hear that
59:00 - 59:30 shot heard around the world join me in two weeks from now in episode 5 where I'd like to tell you a story you