Many colonists opposed the tax and continued to support James Otis Jr.’s position of “taxation without representation is tyranny.” The EIC secured passage of the tea via consignees in the American colonies. The Tea Act was passed in 1773 to financially assist the struggling British East India Company (EIC) by placing a small tax on tea. ![]() John Adams successfully defended the soldiers, but patriots like Samuel Adams, John’s cousin, used the event to garner support for the independence movement. Amid the chaos and without a direct order, the soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five men and wounding six others in what would be known as the Boston Massacre. The unruly protestors threw snowballs and other debris at the soldiers. The tensions in Boston came to a head on March 5, 1770, as a mob gathered around a group of soldiers guarding the Custom House. The growing unrest following this event led to the Occupation of Boston by British troops in 1768. A year later, the Liberty, a sloop owned by John Hancock, was seized on suspicion of smuggling. In 1767, Parliament imposed the Townshend Acts, which placed a duty on several essential goods, including tea. That same year, the group known as the Sons of Liberty was established. ![]() Benjamin Franklin testified before Parliament that the tax was too high and that the colonies had already done more than enough to support the French and Indian War. This was the first tax imposed directly on the 13 American colonies. Until the Stamp Act of 1765, some taxes were proposed, and others were enacted and withdrawn. ![]() Unconditional Love: The Letters of John & Abigail Adamsįrom 1754 until 1763, the British colonies and France fought an expensive land war on the North American continent known as “The French and Indian War.” To recoup these expenses and raise funds to replenish their coffers, the British government enacted a series of new taxes.250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.
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