Boston Tea Party Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Boston Tea Party - Research Paper Example The historical belief is that the Boston Tea Party was set into motion in 1765 by the Tea Act of the British parliament that was meant to aid the British East India Company that held a massive surplus of tea in its warehouses. The British decided to sell the tea to its colonies at undercut prices in order to help save the failing tea company. However, purchasing the tea would have fallen under the Townshend Duties which was not supposed to apply to the colonies. The colonies recognized the usurpation of power that was taking place due to the entry of the tea into the American market, causing the colony to resist purchasing the tea. The Boston Tea Party was the result of a near decade of indirect war between the colony and Britain. The actions of the British parliament in relation to the entry of the taxed British tea into the colony eventually led to the independence of America in 1776. It is interesting to note however, that the aforementioned history of the Boston Tea Party is but one of the many versions / reasons that has come out over time to explain the events leading up to the eventual independence of America from colonial rule. The most commonly accepted version of the Tea Party history is that it was an event that occurred in 1773 as a showdown between the â€Å"Friends of Government† represented by Governor Thomas Hutchinson, and the â€Å"Sons of Liberty† represented by Samuel Adams and Joseph Warren. When the ship The Darthmouth docked on American shores on November 28, 1773 it was unable to offload its cargo of tea. The colony refused to let the the ship go back to England and yet they refused to receive the tea as well. Both sides had 20 days to clear customs and resolve the issue. However, resolving the problem of the taxed tea proved to be futile. At this point, British warships, expecting trouble, stood guard in the nearby harbor. When all efforts are negotiation failed, The â€Å"Body of the People† that had gathered at the Old South Meeting