Today in History
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Today in History |
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December 16, 1773 |
Smugglers in Boston were making good money bypassing British tax laws in the late 1700's. But when Britain permitted the East India Company to sell tea to the colonies without paying taxes, the smugglers' livelihood was threatened. More importantly, John Hancock and Samuel Adams were two such smugglers. When the cargo ship Dartmouth arrived in late November 1773 filled with tea, the situation reached a crisis point. Negotiations to force the Dartmouth to leave Boston Harbor failed. On the night of December 16th, a group of colonists disguised as Indians boarded the ships and began dumping the tea from the ship overboard. By morning, more than 90,000 pounds of tea were destroyed. King George III was furious and penalized the colonists with increased taxation. The Boston Tea Party, and similar acts of defiance, preceded the American Revolutionary War.
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