Boston Tea Party

The Revolutionary War in Four Minutes

Sarah Kay Bierle of the American Battlefield Trust breaks down one of the most iconic scenes in the American epoch—defiant colonists dumping crates of tea into Boston Harbor during the night of December 16, 1773. A culminating event after a series of protests over various British taxes over previous years.

The Boston Tea Party sparked controversy almost immediately. When the sun rose on December 17 to reveal 342 crates of tea floating in the harbor, the governor condemned it as an act of treason. The Sons of Liberty worked tirelessly to publicize the Tea Party, promoting it as an act of defense against British taxation and a last resort to save colonial rights.

The Boston Tea Party moved the American colonies one step closer to war with Great Britain and eventual independence.

Boston Tea Party, In4Minutes

Sarah Kay Bierle

Sarah Kay Bierle serves as education associate at the American Battlefield Trust and is a published author dedicated to the study of the Civil War.