Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. In defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying any taxes, thus undercutting local tea merchants, the demonstrators, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.

They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution. The Tea Party became an iconic event of American history. Wikipedia 

Learn more about the Boston Tea Party through historical newspapers from our archives. Explore newspaper articles, headlines, images, and other primary sources below.

Articles and Clippings about the Boston Tea Party

Reprinted handbill opposing the Tea Act Mon, Dec 13, 1773 – Page 5 · The Pennsylvania Packet (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.comOne negative American reaction to the Tea Act Mon, Dec 6, 1773 – Page 3 · The Pennsylvania Packet (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.comOpinion: Anyone involved with tea from the East India Company "is an enemy to America" Tue, Jan 11, 1774 – 1 · The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser (Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) · Newspapers.comLetter from British officer says "all America is in flame" over Tea Act Tue, Feb 8, 1774 – 3 · The Leeds Intelligencer and Yorkshire General Advertiser (Leeds, West Yorkshire, England) · Newspapers.comBostonians resolve to disrupt the importation of tea from Britain Fri, Jan 21, 1774 – 2 · The Derby Mercury (Derby, Derbyshire, England) · Newspapers.comBostonians hold meetings to decide what to do about the British tea in the harbor Mon, Dec 13, 1773 – Page 5 · The Pennsylvania Packet (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.comAccount of the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party Fri, Jan 21, 1774 – 2 · The Derby Mercury (Derby, Derbyshire, England) · Newspapers.comAccount of the Boston Tea Party Wed, Dec 22, 1773 – Page 7 · The Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) · Newspapers.comBritish account of tea controversy in America Sat, Mar 19, 1774 – 2 · Jackson's Oxford Journal (Oxford, Oxfordshire, England) · Newspapers.comMonetary value of tea destroyed at Boston Fri, Jul 1, 1774 – 3 · The Derby Mercury (Derby, Derbyshire, England) · Newspapers.comBoston Tea Party highlights whether Britain has the right to tax its American colonies Sat, Jan 29, 1774 – 2 · Jackson's Oxford Journal (Oxford, Oxfordshire, England) · Newspapers.comJohn Wyeth's account of his experiences during the Boston Tea Party Sat, Apr 15, 1837 – Page 4 · Maumee City Express (Maumee City, Ohio) · Newspapers.comLast known surviving participant in Boston Tea Party dies in 1846 Thu, Mar 12, 1846 – Page 3 · The Vermont Union Whig (Rutland, Vermont) · Newspapers.com