Posted on Dec 17, 2023
The Boston Tea Party at 250: History steeped in myth
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On a chilly December night, 250 years ago, a group of men destroyed a lot of tea.
The Boston Tea Party was an act of civil disobedience. The caper, led by disguised men on the ships and silently cheered on by thousands on shore, helped catalyze the American Revolution.
It's also a story historians say is filled with myth and a little mystery.
“The Boston Tea Party has been one of the most sensationalized moments in our nation's history,” said Evan O’Brien, the creative manager of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.
The misconceptions vary from the “mildly inaccurate to just out of control,” he said.
For starters, the Boston Tea Party had very little to do with tax hikes. Despite the name, it wasn’t a party, much less a drunken party. And, party or not, the protest appalled some colonial leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
But others had only praise.
“This is the most magnificent movement of all,” John Adams wrote in his diary the day after the tea was dumped overboard. “I can't but consider it as an epocha in history.”
There’s no denying the whole affair set the colonies on a path that led directly to the Revolutionary War and the birth of a new country.
The Boston Tea Party was an act of civil disobedience. The caper, led by disguised men on the ships and silently cheered on by thousands on shore, helped catalyze the American Revolution.
It's also a story historians say is filled with myth and a little mystery.
“The Boston Tea Party has been one of the most sensationalized moments in our nation's history,” said Evan O’Brien, the creative manager of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.
The misconceptions vary from the “mildly inaccurate to just out of control,” he said.
For starters, the Boston Tea Party had very little to do with tax hikes. Despite the name, it wasn’t a party, much less a drunken party. And, party or not, the protest appalled some colonial leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.
But others had only praise.
“This is the most magnificent movement of all,” John Adams wrote in his diary the day after the tea was dumped overboard. “I can't but consider it as an epocha in history.”
There’s no denying the whole affair set the colonies on a path that led directly to the Revolutionary War and the birth of a new country.
The Boston Tea Party at 250: History steeped in myth
Posted from wbur.orgPosted in these groups: 
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Boston American History
Posted 4 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Getting the party started
More than 100 men marched to nearby Griffin's Wharf, where the boats were tied up. Some of the men in this procession came from a local tavern, though historian Allison said there’s no evidence they’d been drinking.
When they got to the wharf, they asked permission to go on board the three tea vessels, said O’Brien.
One of the ships had a pacifist quaker captain from Cape Cod. He allowed the men aboard, and he even let his crew participate in the protest if they wanted.
Despite the civility, everyone was well aware this act of civil disobedience was a crime — and they took precautions."
..."Getting the party started
More than 100 men marched to nearby Griffin's Wharf, where the boats were tied up. Some of the men in this procession came from a local tavern, though historian Allison said there’s no evidence they’d been drinking.
When they got to the wharf, they asked permission to go on board the three tea vessels, said O’Brien.
One of the ships had a pacifist quaker captain from Cape Cod. He allowed the men aboard, and he even let his crew participate in the protest if they wanted.
Despite the civility, everyone was well aware this act of civil disobedience was a crime — and they took precautions."
(6)
(0)
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