Just like India, America too, at one point of time was ruled over by Britain. These English men have ruled over several countries wherever they could, establishing their supremacy and abandoning the country of its resources to make their own nation rich.
In the 17th century, the British had developed a taste for tea and thereby began the tea trade. Numerous rival companies emerged and there was competition but the British parliament had given a monopoly to the East India Company for importing and trading tea. But the Parliament wished to eliminate all the rivals and wanted the East India Company to maintain its monopoly due to which an act was passed in 1721. According to this act, all the colonists had to import tea only from Britain and the tea was not to be exported to the colonies, rather auctions were conducted in which the British companies bought the tea and then sold it further in places like New York, Philadelphia etc. The East India Company too had to face taxes of 25% on the tea they imported. At that time, tax less tea was sold in Dutch which the Company saw it as a plus point and started smuggling tea to recover the 25% taxes they had to pay. The tax on tea inside Britain was reduced according to the Indemnity Act and the Townshend Revenue act of 1767 also came into being which imposed numerous taxes in the colonies to suppress the smuggling issue. But nothing of this sort happened and the smuggling problem only increased.
The Indemnity Act expired in 1772 which caused the East India Company to pay 10% taxes. To make up for this loss, various ideas were thought of. Initially, they thought to sell tax-free tea in whole Europe but then there were chances that smuggled tea will be brought to Great Britain and therefore they turned to the American colonies. With the approval of King George III, the Tea Act was passed on 10 May 1773. Tea imported into the colonies was highly taxed and a three pence Townshend duty was also imposed on it.
Widespread resentment was seen in the colonies. The merchants of New York, Philadelphia, Charleston and Boston refused to receive the tea shipments from Britain. Seven ships loaded with tea were sent to America, four for Boston and one each for the other three places. On the night of 16 December 1773, the protestor groups, especially the Sons of liberty threw 342 chests of tea that came to Boston in the sea. This raised protests everywhere. The colonists became resistant. Tea shipments were not accepted. This act of resistance raised by the Sons of Liberty in Boston was called the Boston Tea Party. It became so huge that it led to the American Revolution.
Image sources: history.com, landofthebrave.info, cr-cath.pvt.k12.ia.us
You must log in to post a comment.