Boston 1770s
Boston Tea Party, 1773
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The Boston Massacre, 1770
Consequences
Causes
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Events
Causes
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Events
Consequences
The Revenue Act 1767
Unification of the colonists with one common enemy, Britain
Confidence of the colonists due to the lack of a threat in America
5 new acts finding ways to control the colonists in the previous 10 years ; The Sugar Act 1764, The Stamp Act 1765, The Quartering Act 1765, The Revenue Act 1767 and The Tea Act 1773
Taxes being set for the colonies without a colonial representative in court being present
The Tea Act ,1773 An act to help the East India Company sell it's tea by making it cheaper. The tax was lowered from 12p per lb to 3p per lb by the Revenue Act of 1767
Caused the colonists to carry out peaceful measures to resist the act like boycotting. Took a violent turn in Boston.
Boston was the most affected city by the Revenue Act because the headquarters of the new American Board of Customs Commissioners was set up there to regulate trade with the colonies.
A way to tax the colonists.
Caused anger with the colonists: worsened relationship between them.
Mobs began to attack customs officials as soon as they arrived in Boston.
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This angered the British.
16th December 1773 One day before the governor could legally claim the unloaded tea5000 people gathered at Boston's South Church
By 1769, there were 4,000 British Soldiers in Boston which had a population of 15,000.
60 men broke into the three ships that night
Governor Thomas Hutchinson wanted to wait until he could legally seize the tea (if duty had not been payed after 20 days)
The men were dressed as Native Americans to send the message that they were the new Native Americans and it was to tell the British to back off
The Boston Committee of Correspondence began to guard the harbor, stopping it from being unloaded and stopping the tea from being taxed
The men threw a total of 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor
28th November 1773 A ship carrying tea called the Dartmouth landed in Boston Harbor, two other ships carrying tea landed shortly after
Became quickly overcrowded, causing the distrust between the troops intensify.
5 March 1770
In response, around five other soldiers thought the order had been given to fire and fired off one or two shots into the crowd at point blank range, killing four colonists immediately. One died later and eight were wounded
The became the Boston Massacre
The Private Hugh Montgomery fell to the ground. When he go up, he fired his musket.
They began to throw snowballs, oyster shells and icicles at the British Guards.
A crowd of around 100 gathered outside the Customs office.
It became a flash point in the relationship between the British authorities and American Colonists.
Other tea ships had to return to Britain before they landed
In other places more tea was ruined, such as New York in 1774
£10000 worth of tea (£1 million nowadays) was ruined
The relationship between Britain and the colonies was falling apart as Britain tried to control them even more
The colonies grew more confident because this was an act of rebellion that badly damaged the British but didn't cause any colonial casualties
A clear sign for the British to back off or face another confrontation with the colonists
Chose to calm the situation and their troops where led out of the city to Castle William in Boston Harbour.
Created Propaganda
Created propaganda for the anti-British cause.
Paul Revere, a member of Bostons Sons of Liberty and political cartoonist, created an engraving of the Boston Massacre that as widely publicised.
Helped turn the colonists against the British.
Committee of Correspondence
Due the the Boston Massacre the Committee or Correspondence was set up.
In order to resist future British measures, in September 1771, Boston set up a committee to strengthen links within the colony and with other colonies, making them more united.