The Boston Tea Party

THE ENGLISH:

The English people were in debt from the French and Indian War. They therefore passed many laws that would require the colonists to pay a tax. The money was to help get England out of debt. After the colonists reacted with a boycott of English goods, England's tea company, East Indies Company began to lose a lot of money. The king then passed the Tea Act which did not require the East Indies Company to first sell their goods in England. Rather they could go directly to sell int he colonies. With the tax and all, the company would make more money and get themselves out of debt. In addition, they now had a monopoly on selling tea to the colonies.

THE COLONISTS:
The Tea Act affected all the colonists each in different ways. The local merchants were losing business since the East Indies Company was now able to sell for less. Most of the colonists saw this as a clear reminder of the unfair tax they still had to pay on tea. Even though many taxes were repealed, the tax on tea still remained. This reminded the colonists of how the King of England was taxing them without their consent. Therefore, when a large load of tea arrived at the ports the colonists took action to destroy it.


DISCUSSION PROMPT:
Imagine you were living in this era. Which group of people would you side with? Why? Explain your answer by bringing proof from history or society.