Fighting Back

The following are various journal entries from the Bostonian Apprentice who is now 19 years old in 1773.

August 20, 1773

Parliament has done more! This time they have not taxed us, but aided the East India Company to sell tea. Using the Tea Act, the East India company can sell tea cheaper than the Dutch, even with the Townshend Tax. The Dutch were smuggling us tea. Before, the East India Company had to sell the wholesale merchants in England with a tax. Then the wholesale merchants sold to retail merchants in the colonies. This was very expensive so the company was going bankrupt. Our boycott had left a seven year supply of tea sitting in warehouses, rotting. That didn’t help. Now, the East India Company can sell tea to merchants in the colonies. The Sons of Liberty fear that many will buy the cheap tea. That would end our boycott, and Parliament would win.

Tea ships have come to Boston! There is only one, the Dartmouth. It has pulled into Griffin’s Wharf, and more will come. Sam Adams has asked the town meet, and I am interested in what he will say.

This tea ship is a very complicated matter. You see, under law, a ship can’t leave port without unloading its cargo and British law states a ship can’t dock at any English port with cargo unloaded. Also, if a ship doesn’t unload it’s cargo within twenty days, the cargo belongs to the government.

At the meeting, someone proposed a daring act - we should throw the tea into the Boston harbor. Also, volunteers were asked to watch. I was one of them. A second ship, the Eleanor, arrived yesterday.

December 17, 1773

On December 13, while on duty I saw the Beaver, the third and last ship arrive at port. Yesterday a town meeting was held. The tea ship owners refused to leave port although it was the deadline. They were afraid to go without paying the tax, for British ships will sink them. Mid-way through the meeting, one owner, Francis Rotch, was sent to ask Governor Hutchinson to leave port without unloading. The town meeting was adjourned, but the Sons of Liberty were just starting theirs. It was agreed the tea should be destroyed if the Governor didn’t grant permission for the ships to leave, and volunteers would do it. I was one. We decided to dress as Mohawk Indians. Though we knew no one would be fooled into thinking we are real Indians, dressing this way will let no one know who we are. After the meeting we changed our attire and painted our faces.

During the evening, Mr. Rotch came with the Governor’s answer. It was "No." When Sam Adams came up to speak, I listened hard. He believed we should start the mission as "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country."

These were the right words. Suddenly, we began giving war whoops. Parading down to the harbor, we were joined by others. At Griffin’s Wharf, we separated into three groups. Each one was on a different ship. I was on the Beaver.

Our leader told me to get the keys to the hold room from the ship’s mate. I said, "If you give me the keys to the hold, we will not harm you." He agreed, and we set out to complete our work. It was steady - we broke the tea chests open (342 total on all three ships) and dumped it into the harbor. It took about three hours.

After we were finished, Captain Pitts checked each of us to make sure we had not stolen any tea. I’ve heard someone on the Dartmouth stole tea.

Retreating, two by two, Admiral Montagu, who apparently had been watching us, yelled, "Well, boys you have had a fine pleasant evening in your Indian caper haven’t you? But mind, you have got to pay the fiddler yet." We laughed at this, but I wonder what Parliament will do next.

June 10, 1774

Do you remember our caper in December? The Boston Tea Party did not please Parliament. Also, we did not pay for the tea. They have set a new law called the Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts.

They are intolerable! The Coercive Acts are four acts - the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Impartial Administration of Justice Act, and the Quartering Act.

The Boston Port Act closes Boston Harbor; no ships can enter or depart from its port.

The Massachusetts Government Act gives King George the power to choose the Governor’s Council, instead of the Massachusetts Assembly. Also, there are to be no town meetings.

The Impartial Government act says that any magistrate, soldier, or customs official accused of a capital offense must go to England or Nova Scotia for trial. There, they must face a local jury.

The Quartering Act forces Boston families to let British soldiers live in their homes.

These acts are only for Massachusetts, to teach other colonies that we are a bad colony. Parliament hopes other colonies will not follow our example. Parliament is wrong! The other colonies send us food and supplies. We are "heroes to stand up to Parliament," they say. Maybe we are. I have a feeling tensions are increasing on both sides.

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