Antonio C.

Causes of the Revolution

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Conclusion

Introduction

“We were merry at the idea of making so large a cup of tea for the fishes,”
said Joshua Wyeth about the Boston Tea Party. This event along with the
Boston Massacre were two important events in our country’s history. They
represent historical conflicts that will always be remembered in our history.

The Boston Tea Party happened on December 16, 1773.  Some colonists
dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor.

Why The Tea Party Happened

The British king, King George III, said that all colonists had to buy tea from
the British East India Company. In order to buy the tea, the people also
had
to pay a tax on it.  This tax was part of the Tea Act. The colonists were very
angry about this tax because they loved tea, but did not think they should
pay a tax for it! Researchers believe that the king forced the people to use
this company so he could get back some of the money lost, or debt, that
the British had due to the French and Indian War.

Taxes were money that went to the British government. The colonists did
not want to pay this extra money to the lawmaking part of the British
government, also known as Parliament. The colonists did not think this
was fair and said,”No taxation without representation,” because they did
not have anyone representing them in the government.  Due to this, the
tea just stayed on a ship in Boston Harbor called the Dartmouth because
they would not pay the tax on the tea.

During the Tea Party

The Sons of Liberty, a group of Patriots, decided to fight back against
this tax.  They dressed up as Indians and threw 342 crates of tea into
the Boston Harbor in less than four hours.  They did not damage the
ships because they helped build the ships. After the Boston Tea Party,
the people of Lexington, Massachusetts burned large quantities of tea
in a large bonfire.  This was their way of protesting against the tea tax.
Also, the people in Charlestown decided to burn the tea like the people
in Lexington.

This shows Sons of Liberty dressed as Indians

throwing tea off the ships.

Chapter 2: The Boston Massacre

Another event was the Boston Massacre. In 1770, British troops went to
Boston, which is located in present-day Massachusetts. It was then called
the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The colonists were angry about the taxes
and they were not happy that the soldiers still lived in their towns. On
March 5, 1770, as one soldier was guarding the Customs House where
taxes were collected, some colonists walked by and started protesting and
yelling at him.  To try and help the soldier, Captain Thomas Preston
marched seven other soldiers with muskets and bayonets over to come

help.

The colonists  threw snowballs, rocks, and then oyster shells.  Since they
lived on the Massachusetts Bay, they probably got their clam shells from
the shore area. The British troops were outnumbered. One soldier fired
his gun into the crowd because he thought he heard the officer say, “Fire!”
Other soldiers started firing too. Researchers believe this was a kind of
domino effect, which caused more soldiers to fire too.

 In the commotion, three people were killed instantly. One of them was a
former slave by the name of Crispus Attucks.  Three others later died of
injuries a few days later. Five people in total were killed and this day
became declared as the Boston Massacre.    

Aftermath of the Massacre

By the next morning, Preston and the seven soldiers were placed under
arrest, as well as the guard soldiers.  As a result, British troops were removed
from Boston, probably to prevent any further massacres. Both sides had
different opinions and stories to tell about what happened.

This painting shows the Boston Massacre between the colonists and
the Redcoats.

Conclusion

From the Boston Tea Party we can all learn not to simply do what we
are told, but to fight for what we believe in.  The Boston Massacre taught
us to not use violence to solve problems. Why do you think these events

happened?