Introduction
In 1773, the United States did not exist. No one knew what freedom really meant because they had never truly experienced it. America consisted of thirteen colonies not really joined together, who owed their allegiance to a king way across the ocean in Britain. People had come to the colonies for a new life and freedom, and instead they were stuck with British rule even in the new land. Tensions were building, people were getting sick and tired of the rule, and the land was on the brink of a war.
The Boston Tea Party was an influential event that occurred in 1773 and helped spark an American Revolution (Steele, 2002). People had had enough, and they were not going to sit around and let someone rule them any longer. Simply put, it was a rebellion. But what were they really rebelling against? Was it the British rule? What about taxation without representation? Perhaps it was a rebellion against monopolies. There are many possible reasons. This paper will examine the true reasons as to why the colonists rebelled, what led up to the Boston Tea Party, the short term effects it had on the colonies, as well as the long term effects it had on the United States today.
The Boston Tea Party was an influential event that occurred in 1773 and helped spark an American Revolution (Steele, 2002). People had had enough, and they were not going to sit around and let someone rule them any longer. Simply put, it was a rebellion. But what were they really rebelling against? Was it the British rule? What about taxation without representation? Perhaps it was a rebellion against monopolies. There are many possible reasons. This paper will examine the true reasons as to why the colonists rebelled, what led up to the Boston Tea Party, the short term effects it had on the colonies, as well as the long term effects it had on the United States today.
Above is a short video created by the History Channel. It is a portion of the series "America, the story of us" about the Boston Tea Party. It is a reenactment and narration of the events around the Boston Tea Party. (America The Story of Us, 2011)