The Boston Tea Party, Intolerable Acts & First Continental Congress

Calm Before the StormIn the thirteen colonies, the concept of republicanism had been evolving since

the Enlightenment, reminding Americans of their rights as Englishmen. One of those rights was representation in government. Each of the colonies had a

legislature, serving as the only representation the Americans had

because they had no member of Parliament.

The Stamp Act, the first tax on the Americans that didn't go

through their assemblies first, offended their belief in

republicanism. When the legislature of Massachusetts was dissolved, it began a downward

spiral in the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies.

Still, few Americans were calling for independence. By most accounts, the

majority of colonists were loyal British citizens. A few educated, bold leaders spoke out about real problems in the

POLITICAL SYSTEM, but they weren't trying to depose the king. They believed

the most realistic solution at the time was for them to have an elected

representative in Parliament.

So, why did they form the Sons of Liberty? It was partly because they realized that mere discussion and

protest weren't getting them anywhere with the leaders in

London, and it's also likely that they were scared to speak out against the government publicly. Attempting to

overthrow the king was a crime punishable by death.

After the Boston Massacre in 1770, even the Sons of Liberty

quieted down. There were a few scattered incidents, like the

burning of the Gaspee, but the violence was limited, and nearly

three years passed without a major confrontation.

Most of the Townshend Acts had been repealed, and the colonists weren't protesting the remaining tax on tea because it was easy enough to avoid.

They just stopped importing tea from Britain and smuggled it in from Dutch

colonies. If England had overlooked this problem, we might still be loyal to the

British monarch today, but they couldn't let it go for two reasons.

The Tea ActOf course, the government wasn't collecting much tax money, and

smuggling had left the British East India Company in serious trouble.

This joint-stock company had warehouses full of tea from Asia that

no one wanted to buy. In 1773, the Prime Minister believed he could

solve everyone's problem.

He wrote a new Tea Act allowing the Company to bring shiploads of tea directly to America. They didn't

have to go through English merchants, and they didn't have to pay export duties on the shipments. So, even though the colonists would have to pay an import tax, the tea

was still less expensive.

The Prime Minister expected the colonists to be happy, buy the tea

and save the company. He was wrong. American merchants

stirred up opposition to the Tea Act, saying that they were still

being taxed without representation.

In October 1773, a group of colonists in Philadelphia

managed to force the resignation of British tea agents after being

threatened with tar and feathering. Many ports would not allow ships carrying tea to enter the harbor. They were forced to

sail back to England.

The Boston Tea PartyBoston, normally the trend-setter

in protesting the British, was unable to duplicate the success of

other colonies. Massachusetts had a loyal governor who insisted

that three ships be allowed to anchor and demanded that the

tea be paid for, tax and all.

But laborers on the docks wouldn't unload it, and merchants wouldn't pay

for it. The ships sat in Boston harbor for a month before the Sons of Liberty finally decided to take action. On

December 16, 1773, as many as one hundred and fifty men (a few of whom were dressed as Indians) dumped the

ships' cargo - valued at nearly one million dollars today - overboard into the

sea.

The event has come to be known as the Boston Tea Party, and it

stands out as one of the defining moments of American history.

But at the time, it was controversial, even in the

colonies. Benjamin Franklin insisted that the money had to be

repaid.

And, in fact, four New York merchants approached the Prime

Minster and offered to compensate the Company. But

their offer was refused, and Boston was in big trouble.

The Intolerable ActsIn response to the Boston Tea

Party, Parliament passed a series of resolutions in 1774 called the Coercive Acts. Massachusetts was placed under martial law, and the Quartering Act was

reinstated.

All forms of local legislation were forbidden, and the commander of the British army in America was

appointed governor of Massachusetts. Perhaps most

importantly, Boston Harbor was closed until the people responsible

for the destruction of the tea stepped forward and paid its full value.

A piece of unrelated legislation revealed profoundly bad judgment on London's part. The Quebec Act allowed French Canadian Catholics the right to settle in the land west of the Proclamation Line. This aroused the ire of many people in the colonies

that had otherwise been unconcerned about what was

happening in Boston.

The Coercive Acts together with the Quebec Act were dubbed the

Intolerable Acts, and many Americans decided that regional protests weren't working. It was

time to unite.

The First Continental CongressEach of the colonies had

organized secret governments, called the committees of safety, to

direct their militias. Delegates from twelve colonies were chosen

from among them to meet in Philadelphia because it was the

most centrally located city.

Only Georgia wasn't present, though historians debate the reason. During the months of

September and October 1774, the First Congressional Congress

met to assert their rights within the British government, not to

rebel against it.

The Congress was contentious, characterized by heated debates, but the delegates were able to get a better feel for the needs of the other colonies and demonstrated an ability to cooperate that would

be critical in the years to come. More importantly, they took several important actions.

First, they sent the Declaration and Resolves to King George III

in which they condemned the Intolerable Acts as a violation of British law. They sanctioned the

colonial militias and a Patriot government in Massachusetts

and endorsed a boycott of British goods, including slaves.

Finally, they agreed to meet again the following spring if

England had not granted them full representation and undone

some of the wrongs they had committed.

Many in England were incensed by the Congress and its work, but

William Pitt (for whom Pittsburg is named) defended the colonies.

Parliament passed the Conciliatory Resolution relieving taxes for colonies that supported the

government. But before news of the law could reach the colonies, war

had broken out.