Boston Tea Party: Ships, Facts and a Reenactment

Boston loves its history, and its reenactments. The Boston Tea Party is no exception. Find out a brief history, the date of the event, the name of the ships involved, as well as information about a local re-enactment.

Date

This historic event took place on Thursday, December 16, 1773.

What Happened?

The Boston Tea Party was no party at all. Disgruntled Bostonians who did not want to pay the new tax on East India Tea, which began with The Tea Act of 1773, boarded the East India Company ships and dumped out the chests of tea. The Bostonians, often referred to as the "Patriots" of Massachusetts disguised themselves like Native Indians emptied all of the tea from the three ships into Boston Harbor.

Why is it Important?

It is one of the key moments leading up to the American Revolution.

Ships

There where three ship involved in this historic, pre-revolutionary event.

The first ship carrying 114 chests of tea from the East India Company was called the Dartmouth. The Dartmouth, sailed by Captain Hall, arrived at Boston Harbor on Sunday, November 28, 1773. There was a duty or tax that was due on the tea by December 20, 1773.

The second carrying another 114 chests of the British beverage into the Boston Harbor was called the Eleanor. The captain of the Eleanor was Captain Coffin. The ship arrived at Boston Harbor on December 2, 1773.

The third ship that arrived in Boston Harbor was called the Beaver. The Beaver arrived on December 7, 1773 carrying 112 chests of tea, and was sailed by Captain Bruce.

Bostonians were resisting paying the tax, so the beverage product could not be unloaded from the three ships. A meeting was called on December 14, 1774 to decide what to do about the tax and chests on the ships in Boston Harbor.

Pictures

There are some pictures, in the form of artwork, of this historic American event. See the 1789 engraving (Image 1).
Reenactment

Locals and visitors may want to attend the 234th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on Sunday, December 9, 2007 from 5:30pm until 7:30pm. There is a $5 admission charge, unless you dress in colonial attire. If you dress in colonial attire the admission fee is waived.

The re-enactment takes place at the Old South Meeting House located at 310 Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts 02114. For more information please call (617) 338-1773.

The re-enactment is an annual event, so if you miss this year's there will be other opportunities for you to witness the re-enactment.

Re-Enactment Irony

The re-enactment, according to the Old South Meeting House, is sponsored by Salada Tea, which is owned by Redco Foods, Inc. Redco foods is not an American-owned company. Redco Food, Inc., is held by Teekanne GmbH of Dusseldorf, Germany, according to the Redco Food web site.

Sources:

Boston Tea Party, http://www.boston-tea-party.org
Old South Meeting House, http://www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org
Redco Foods, http://www.redcofoods.com