Questions and Answers
What was the main reason behind the Boston Tea Party?
What was the approximate value of the tea thrown into Boston Harbor?
Who participated in the Boston Tea Party?
Why didn't Samuel Adams and other Sons of Liberty leaders participate in the Boston Tea Party?
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What was the venue for the series of meetings where the Sons of Liberty planned the Boston Tea Party?
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How many colonists are estimated to have participated in the Boston Tea Party?
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What was George Hewes's motivation for participating in the Boston Tea Party?
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What was Francis Akeley's consequence for participating in the Boston Tea Party?
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What was Samuel Cooper's later role in the Revolutionary War?
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What is an interesting fact about Amos Lincoln?
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Study Notes
The Boston Tea Party
- The Boston Tea Party was an important event in American history that took place in 1773, where a group of American colonists, known as the Sons of Liberty, protested against unfair British taxes by throwing 340 chests of tea, worth around $2 million in today's dollars, into Boston Harbor.
- The British government imposed taxes on various items, including tea, without the colonists' consent, and used the revenue without their input, leading to feelings of unfairness and rebellion among the colonists.
The Sons of Liberty
- The Sons of Liberty was a group of American colonists who formed to protest British taxes and rebel against the British crown.
- The group was led by Samuel Adams, who organized the Boston Tea Party along with other leaders, including John Hancock, a future signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Planning and Execution
- The Sons of Liberty held a series of meetings in the Old South Meeting House in Boston, attended by up to 5,000 colonists, to plan their protest against the tea tax.
- Samuel Adams asked the British government to reconsider the tax, but when they refused, the Sons of Liberty decided to take action.
- The identities of the colonists who participated in the Boston Tea Party remain unknown to avoid British punishment, but it's estimated that between 100 to 175 people were involved.
Notable Participants
- Paul Revere, famous for his midnight ride during the Revolutionary War, likely participated in the Boston Tea Party.
- Samuel Cooper, only 16 years old at the time, later became a military leader for the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
- George Hewes, who had been injured in the Boston Massacre, got his revenge by destroying the British tea.
- Amos Lincoln, a cousin of President Abraham Lincoln's father, participated in the Boston Tea Party.
- Francis Akeley was the only person imprisoned for his role in the event.
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Description
Relive the historic night when American colonists protested British taxation by throwing tea into Boston Harbor. Learn about the events leading up to and during the Boston Tea Party, an important milestone in American history.