To protest a special tea tax England had imposed upon her American colonies, members of the patriot group, Sons of Liberty, dressed up as Indians one cold December night in 1773, boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. England’s response to this brazen act of rebellion, the Coercive Acts (known in America as the Intolerable Acts), would so punish and enrage colonists that war became virtually inevitable. Bring to life the highly charged atmosphere of pre Revolutionary War America with fascinating and informative primary source documents such as: protest broadsides, a newspaper account of the incident, a contemporary political cartoon, and a Boston Tea Party song. Historian: Richard Pandich. The contents of this Jackdaw feature:

Support Materials

• Illustrated Broadsheet Essay
• Timeline
• Critical Thinking Questions
• Recommended Reading List

Historical Documents

• Broadside: “Tradesmen’s Protest Against The Proceedings of the Merchants. Relative to the New Importation of Tea,” November 3, 1773
• Broadside stating results of a meeting of Boston citizens that voted to not allow the unloading of tea, December 2, 1773
• Letter defending the Boston Tea Party, December 17, 1773
• Boston Gazette and Country Journal report on the tea party, December 20, 1773
• New York broadside relating events that occurred in Boston, December 23, 1773
• Paul Revere engraving: “The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught,” June 1774
• Lithograph: “The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor,” 1846
• “Tea Tax, and Humble Wish,” a 19th century song about the Boston Tea Party