Story: The Boston Tea Party
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In 1607, the British established the colony of Jamestown in Virginia. This led to nearly a century of British dominance on the new continent. During this time, the British worked to defend their colonies against attack by the French and others. This cost the British money; therefore, they had to pay high taxes in their country. Because of this, the British decided to tax the colonists to share the financial responsibility. They also asked the colonists to share in other responsibilities. |
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In 1764, the British passed the Sugar Act, which taxed sugar and molasses, and the Currency Act, which regulated paper money in the colonies. In 1765, the Quartering Act was passed. This act forced colonists to shelter British troops when necessary. The British passed The Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed all legal documents, newspapers, and other documents. In 1766, this tax was overturned, but tensions lingered between the British and the colonists. That same year, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act, which gave the British more power in the colonies. In 1767, the Townshend Acts instituted even more taxes on regular items. However, these acts led to such great protests that most were repealed. In 1770, the British killed five colonists in the Boston Massacre. Three years later, the Tea Act allowed a British company to sell directly to the colonies and greatly hurt colonial merchants. This led to such outrage that the colonists decided to take direct action. |
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On December 16th, 1773, several angry colonists gathered at the Boston Harbor. The men who were part of a group called the Sons of Liberty directly opposed the taxation by the British. They loosely disguised themselves as Mohawk American Indians. They went on the cargo ships in the harbor and threw all the tea, which was worth a great amount of money, into the waters of Boston Harbor. This act greatly angered King George of England. He sent the Royal Navy to shut down the harbor, but the other colonies came to support the rebels in Boston. The Tea Party serves as a great symbol of the American Revolution to this day. |
Passage 2
A Revolutionary Party
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The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. It marked a turning point in the relations between the British and American colonists. Though some may say that the Boston Tea Party was the direct result of a tax on tea, it actually stemmed from a series of events which stretched over the course of a decade. These events mainly involved the passing of bills which either introduced new taxes or tried to limit the rights and powers of the colonists. The British had originally begun passing these bills because they felt that they needed financial and logistical support in defending the colonies. Gradually, the British began passing more bills to increase their authority. To the colonists, the acts seemed unfair and unnecessary. Some colonists were so angered that they even formed a group called the Sons of Liberty. The group's main platform was to oppose taxes. In 1770, the tensions between colonists and the British came to a head at the Boston Massacre. Colonists and British troops faced off in the streets, and five Americans were killed. In 1773, the passing of the Tea Act reduced taxes on British tea and hurt the colonists' businesses. |
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At this point, the Sons of Liberty decided to take action. They organized and coordinated for weeks. The night of December 16, they dumped tea from three ships into Boston Harbor. Many people in Boston would not cooperate with authorities when they came to investigate. The actions of the colonists in Boston emboldened colonists throughout the country. The Tea Party sent a clear message to the British that they would not easily accept their policies. The British leadership grew angry and tried to tighten their control on the colonies. More acts were passed, and more resistance eventually came. Thomas Paine published his revolutionary pamphlet Common Sense and leaders with names like Washington, Jefferson, and Adams began to gather around the country. In 1774, the First Continental Congress took place. The colonists agreed to continue boycotting British products. With the seeds of independence planted, the Revolution would soon begin.
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3 Question: Is the passage, The Boston Tea Party, chronological order, problem-solution, or cause-effect?
Is the passage, A Revolutionary Party, chronological order, problem-solution, or cause-effect?
What describes both of the passages, chronological order, problem-solution, or cause-effect?
