Happy New Year and Blessed Holidays to all. Last month our amazing energy-clearing team had a magically inspiring journey to shine the light of hope for everyone around the world. We saw a future that was filled with peace, grace, and community. We will get there with a little effort, teamwork, and the power of intention.
Do you know some of the stories of how our forefathers and mothers stood together against the abuse of tyranny and changed the face of our history? I was delighted to be at the reenactment of the Boston Tea Party a few weeks ago. It seemed to be like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. There were over 10 thousand folks there celebrating this momentous event. This is what I learned.
250 Years Ago
On December 16, 1773 colonists from around Massachusetts assembled at Boston’s Old South Meeting Hall to take a stand against the actions of the British government. Technically, they were British citizens who were loyal to the king. Yet Parliament had levied several taxes on these American colonists without them having anyone representing them in government. The colonists considered “taxation without representation” to be a violation of their British Constitutional rights. They had already been angry about taxes and earlier that spring, Parliament levied a new tax on tea. The colonists’ concern was that if Parliament could tax their tea what else would they tax, and where would taxation end? Good question. Look at us today. Think about how we pay taxes yet have no real say in how our money is spent.
Remember, these were British citizens and were used to drinking tea. The water was often tainted, so the best way to drink clean water was to boil it for tea. In defiance, many of the women had already boycotted British tea and were purchasing from a Dutch company or they simply stopped making tea altogether, which was challenging for their way of life.
In November, three merchant ships arrived from Britain to the port of Boson laden with 92 thousand pounds of East India Trade Company tea. To make a point about this new tea tax, of which they had no say, the colonists refused to offload the tea and demanded that the ships be returned to England. The ships stood in the harbor for several weeks while lively discussions ensued. The British Governor gave the colonists until December 17 to offload the tea without consequences.
Sons of Liberty
During this time, colonists from all walks of life had come together calling themselves the Sons of Liberty. There were spokesmen such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock representing the upper class, while outspoken shopkeepers like Paul Revere, James Otis, and the radical shoemaker Ebenezer Mackintosh led the working class. People were disgruntled about the British government taxing their hard-earned money to pay for Britain’s never-ending wars.
The day before the tea was mandated to be offloaded, over 5,000 Boston colonists gathered at the Old South Meeting Hall to discuss, debate, and develop a plan. Now there were only 16,000 Bostonians at that time in history. This was quite a crowd. That very day, they received word that the governor refused to return the ships to England and demanded that the tea be offloaded the following day, with tax payments due.
The Plan
The Sons of Liberty had constructed a very well-organized plan – a peaceful way to get rid of the tea and make a strong statement. Later that night, under the cloak of darkness, around 90 men gathered at the dock, some disguised as Mohawk warriors, who they considered represented American freedom, while others had their faces painted with soot or wore cloaks for disguise. The stronger tradesmen were down in the hold hoisting the 400 LB crates using a block and tackle pully system, while the “soft-handed” men – the doctors, lawyers, and accountant types were on the upper decks, using hatchets to break open the 340 chests of tea, dumping 92 thousand pounds of loose tea into Boston’s harbor.
There was to be no theft or damage to the ships or any of the other cargo. One man was caught with tea in his coat. He was stripped and sent home naked in the cold of the night. Once the tea was emptied, their boots were scraped, and the ships were swept clean to leave no trace of tea. Nothing else was destroyed. In about three hours, the equivalent of 1.7 million dollars of tea was dumped into a low tide bay that fateful night. These men swore allegiance to each other to never disclose who was in attendance at that meaningful event. The call “Hossa” rang out! Let us join together for freedom!
Boston Blocade
The next day when the tea was scheduled to be offloaded there was no evidence of any tea on the ships. It was simply gone. This outraged the military governor who closed the port of Boston, blockading any shipments of goods into the harbor. The colonists suffered greatly from this boycott and tensions between the American colonists and the British government escalated. This single act ultimately led to the American Revolutionary War.
Stay tuned for more hidden stories of our history. We must learn from our past lest we repeat any wrongs and take note of strong actions to make the best choices for our future.
Fun Fact
American Patriots boycotted drinking British tea, considering it unpatriotic to their cause. Therefore, Coffee became the hot beverage of choice for Americans.
May Your New Year be filled with Good Choices, Teamwork, and Great Intentions for Peace, Health, Wealth, and Happiness!
Many Blessings,
Lois Hermann
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