Short Term Affects
“The Die is now cast. The Colonies must either submit or triumph ("Boston tea party," 2012).”
- King George III .
On January 20th, 1774, the news reached Britain about what had happened in the Boston Harbor. Immediately, Britain shut down Boston Harbor until all of the tea was paid for. The passing of the Boston Port Act was used to implement the law that Boston Harbor would be closed until every bit of the tea was paid for. Five Acts were passed, which later became known as the Intolerable acts. They were the Boston Port Bill, the Administration of Justice Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. The Boston Port Bill, passed on March 31st, 1774, stated that the port of Boston was to be closed, therefore terminating any possible trade that could take place in Boston. The Administration of Justice Act (May 20th, 1774) allowed a “change of location to Great Britain or a British colony in the event of a jury trial (Ford, 2011).” The Massachusetts Government Act (May 20th, 1774) took away any and all freedoms the people of Massachusetts had of free speech. They were no longer allowed to have town meetings freely or vote for elected positions. This also meant royal governance was reinstated. The Quartering Act (June 2nd, 1774) allowed British soldiers to be housed in inns, private homes, and other places without the permission of the colonists. Finally, the Quebec Act labeled the land north of the Ohio river as Quebec and said that the official religion of Quebec was Roman Catholicism. This seriously upset the colonists who were protestants ("Boston tea party," 2012).
After the Intolerable Acts were passed, the colonists became outraged. On September 5th, 1774, some delegates met in Philadelphia. This was to become the First Continental Congress. Their primary purpose was to represent the people of the colonies (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). It consisted of a representative from every colony except Georgia, and they voted the next day choose who would be on the committee to write a “Declaration of Colonial Rights” and send to Great Britain (Roland.). This was basically an attempt to explain to Great Britain how unjust they believed the Intolerable acts to be (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). A delegate from New Hampshire, Major John Sullivan, wrote the first draft of this important document (Roland). Below is an excerpt from this document where the Intolerable Acts in Boston are mentioned:
“And whereas, in the last session of Parliament, three statutes were made... All which statutes are impolitic, unjust, and cruel, as well as unconstitutional, and most dangerous and destructive of American rights (Roland).”
Along with writing this document, the delegates voted on whether or not they should boycott all goods brought in by Great Britain. It was decided upon that they would boycott the goods, and the delegates knew this meant King George would retaliate, so they decided to prepare the colonies for an attack by British soldiers. Regular colonists attained arms and began to practice how to use them so they would be ready when the British decided to attack. These men were always ready to fight, so they became known as minutemen (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). As tensions built between the colonies and Great Britain, both sides became more and more prepared to fight, and on April 18th, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren noticed some British soldiers begin to march out of Boston, as if they were ready for battle. Quickly, he informed Paul Revere and William Dawes, who rode across the country shouting the news to all the minutemen to prepare for battle. As the sun rose on Lexington and Concord, seventy of the minutemen and it is estimated about one thousand British soldiers met (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). A shot was fired, which later became known as “the shot heard 'round the world (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002, pg. 144),” and the American Revolutionary war began. More than a year later, on July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress finally finished writing and signing the Declaration of Independence, which was when the United States was finally born (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002).
The Boston Tea Party played a key role in this because this seemingly small rebellion sparked an idea. Ideas can be dangerous, and King George aggravated the colonies by passing the Intolerable Acts as a way to stop the spread of the idea of rebelling against Great Britain. The problem is that it did not stop the idea, but only added fuel to the fire. The idea of rebellion only became stronger, and soon enough, a full on rebellion for Independence was taking place. These events that all happened in a relatively short period, which is why they are considered short term effect, but over time, ideas can spark into other fires and effect other things in the long run.
- King George III .
On January 20th, 1774, the news reached Britain about what had happened in the Boston Harbor. Immediately, Britain shut down Boston Harbor until all of the tea was paid for. The passing of the Boston Port Act was used to implement the law that Boston Harbor would be closed until every bit of the tea was paid for. Five Acts were passed, which later became known as the Intolerable acts. They were the Boston Port Bill, the Administration of Justice Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. The Boston Port Bill, passed on March 31st, 1774, stated that the port of Boston was to be closed, therefore terminating any possible trade that could take place in Boston. The Administration of Justice Act (May 20th, 1774) allowed a “change of location to Great Britain or a British colony in the event of a jury trial (Ford, 2011).” The Massachusetts Government Act (May 20th, 1774) took away any and all freedoms the people of Massachusetts had of free speech. They were no longer allowed to have town meetings freely or vote for elected positions. This also meant royal governance was reinstated. The Quartering Act (June 2nd, 1774) allowed British soldiers to be housed in inns, private homes, and other places without the permission of the colonists. Finally, the Quebec Act labeled the land north of the Ohio river as Quebec and said that the official religion of Quebec was Roman Catholicism. This seriously upset the colonists who were protestants ("Boston tea party," 2012).
After the Intolerable Acts were passed, the colonists became outraged. On September 5th, 1774, some delegates met in Philadelphia. This was to become the First Continental Congress. Their primary purpose was to represent the people of the colonies (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). It consisted of a representative from every colony except Georgia, and they voted the next day choose who would be on the committee to write a “Declaration of Colonial Rights” and send to Great Britain (Roland.). This was basically an attempt to explain to Great Britain how unjust they believed the Intolerable acts to be (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). A delegate from New Hampshire, Major John Sullivan, wrote the first draft of this important document (Roland). Below is an excerpt from this document where the Intolerable Acts in Boston are mentioned:
“And whereas, in the last session of Parliament, three statutes were made... All which statutes are impolitic, unjust, and cruel, as well as unconstitutional, and most dangerous and destructive of American rights (Roland).”
Along with writing this document, the delegates voted on whether or not they should boycott all goods brought in by Great Britain. It was decided upon that they would boycott the goods, and the delegates knew this meant King George would retaliate, so they decided to prepare the colonies for an attack by British soldiers. Regular colonists attained arms and began to practice how to use them so they would be ready when the British decided to attack. These men were always ready to fight, so they became known as minutemen (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). As tensions built between the colonies and Great Britain, both sides became more and more prepared to fight, and on April 18th, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren noticed some British soldiers begin to march out of Boston, as if they were ready for battle. Quickly, he informed Paul Revere and William Dawes, who rode across the country shouting the news to all the minutemen to prepare for battle. As the sun rose on Lexington and Concord, seventy of the minutemen and it is estimated about one thousand British soldiers met (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002). A shot was fired, which later became known as “the shot heard 'round the world (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002, pg. 144),” and the American Revolutionary war began. More than a year later, on July 4th, 1776, the Second Continental Congress finally finished writing and signing the Declaration of Independence, which was when the United States was finally born (Appleby, Brinkley & McPherson, 2002).
The Boston Tea Party played a key role in this because this seemingly small rebellion sparked an idea. Ideas can be dangerous, and King George aggravated the colonies by passing the Intolerable Acts as a way to stop the spread of the idea of rebelling against Great Britain. The problem is that it did not stop the idea, but only added fuel to the fire. The idea of rebellion only became stronger, and soon enough, a full on rebellion for Independence was taking place. These events that all happened in a relatively short period, which is why they are considered short term effect, but over time, ideas can spark into other fires and effect other things in the long run.