40 Interesting Boston Tea Party Facts
While everyone knows the basics of the Boston Tea Party, very few know specifically what happened before or after. To understand what caused this, you must read this list of 40 Interesting Boston Tea Party Facts.
1. The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston.
2. The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16th, 1773.
3. The Boston Tea Party took place because the colonists did not want to pay taxes on the British tea.
4. John Crane was the only “tea partier” man harmed in the Boston Tea Party.
5. American colonists consume 2 to 3 cups of tea each day.
6. It took place a few years after the Boston Massacre.
7. The three ships in the Boston Harbor that were raided in the Boston Tea Party included the Dartmouth Ship, the Eleanor Ship, and the Beaver ship.
8. The fourth ship, the William, ran aground in a storm off Cape Cod and never made it to the Boston Harbor.
9. The Dartmouth Ship was carrying 114 chests of tea.
10. The 342 chests of tea would have made approximately 19 million cups of tea.
11. All 342 chests of tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor in the protest, destroying all of it.
12. The chests of tea on the three ships included 240 chests of cheap black tea, 32 chests of superior cheap black tea, 10 chests of superior black tea, and 60 chests of green tea.
13. The Tea that was marketed in America, was sold by shipment dealers selected by the East India Trading Company.
14. Most of the tea from the East India Trading Company was actually from China.
15. The Boston Tea Party monitored another pre-Revolutionary occasion called the Boston Massacre that occurred on March 5, 1770.
16. 90% of the tea drank in the colonies was smuggled in.
17. The new import tax on tea of 3 pence was considerably less than the previous one.
18. Only ships owned by the East India Company could carry tea.
19. The Dartmouth ship, under Captain Hall, carried 114 chests of tea.
20. The Boston Tea Party Museum is located on the Congress Street Bridge in Boston. It features reenactments, a documentary, and a number of interactive exhibits.
21. The Beaver ship, under Captain Bruce, carried 114 chests of tea.
22. It’s estimated that the protestors tossed more than 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor.
23. Under pressure from the Sons of Liberty patriot groups, Philadelphia, the consignees in Charleston and New York refused to accept the shipments.
24. The chosen consignees in Boston were two sons of the Governor, Thomas Hutchinson and his nephew, Richard Clarke.
25. Each of the three ships was about 80 feet long.
26. Each ship had a crew of 8-12 men.
27. Tea Act protests spread to other colonies throughout 1774. In cities such as New York, Annapolis and Charleston, South Carolina, patriots dumped tea off ships or burned it in protest.
28. An armed guard of patriots was posted at the wharf to prevent the cargo from coming ashore.
29. In the 1830s, two books—A Retrospect of the Tea-Party and Traits of the Tea Party—popularized the moniker and cemented it in popular culture.
30. The Bostonians demanded that the tea be sent back to England with the tax unpaid.
31. About one-third of the participants were skilled artisans like shoemakers, carpenters, and masons.
32. The term ‘Boston Tea Party’ did not appear in print until 1834.
33. The East India Company reported losses of £9,659 after the Boston Tea Party.
34. As a result of the protest, the British government closed the Port of Boston to all ships.
35. The Boston Tea Party was called ‘The destruction of the tea’ for many years.
36. The Boston Tea Party was one of the main triggers of the American Revolution.
37. In every colony except Massachusetts, protesters were able to force the tea consignees to return the tea to England.
38. According to historian Alfred Young, the term “Boston Tea Party” did not appear in print until 1834.
39. The Boston Tea Party Museum is located on the Congress Street Bridge in Boston. It features reenactments, a documentary, and a number of interactive exhibits.
