Boston Tea Party

On December 16th 1773, in response to the Tea Act imposed by Great Britain, Bostonians made their way to Griffin’s Warf late in the night with thoughts of revolution in their heads. Disguised as an Indians, George R. T. Hewes and fellow colonists rallied toward British tea ships and later gave his account of the events that happened that night. The intention of the colonists was to make a bold stand against unfair taxes imposed by the British, which would forever be remembered as the Boston Tea Party. Historians mark this night specifically as one of the most pivotal points in the fight for the independence of an American nation.

The day before the British ships planned to force the tea onto shore, the Boston citizens held a town meeting to decide which actions to be taken to prevent the shipment from docking. When the colonists had discovered that their own Governor had deserted them, they were forced to take drastic measures with little to no preparation. The result of the meeting was a general consensus to head for the wharf and take immediate physical action. George R. T. Hewes, a Boston shoemaker tells how he, along with many other citizens, dressed as Indians and planned to take the tea by force and destroy it. According to Hewes the attack was very organized. They were split into groups, allowing them to forcefully board all three British ships simultaneously. Upon boarding, the leaders of these groups immediately gave strategic orders to have the tea brought to the deck. The plan worked to perfection and within only three hours all of the tea chests had been burst open and the tea thrown overboard.

Due to the high risk of being identified by the British or loyalist spies, each man wished to remain anonymous. George Hewes states that after leaving the town meeting he returned home and dressed as an Indian before heading down to the British ships, where he would meet with other colonists in the same disguise. After being split into three attack groups each man kept to themselves and made no attempt to identify the other. In fact no conversations were held unless it pertained directly to the mission at hand. If any perpetrators were caught by the British and interrogated, this conduct, along with the costumes, would prevent them from identifying