History Daily - The Boston Tea Party

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

December 16, 1773. Frustrated at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation”, American colonists dump 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. This episode originally aired in 2021. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

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It's a great stanchoes. O'Evoy. It's August 14th, 1765, on a warm summer evening in Boston, Massachusetts. Andrew Oliver, a stamp man, slams his window shut. Outside his home, an angry mob is coming for him. Andrew was recently hired to enforce the Stamp Act, a British law that imposes new taxes on the American colonies. But many of the colonists aren't happy about this new levy.

imposed by a government thousands of miles away, and their justice disgruntled with Andrew for enforcing the law. Earlier this morning, his fellow colonists hung an effigy from an elm tree in town, pinned to its chest were the initials A-O for Andrew Oliver. The sheriff urged Andrew to run and hide, and as he listens to the mob gathering on his front lawn, he wishes he would have listened. Andrew peeks outside and sees angry men surrounding his house, their friends. faces lit by the flickering light of burning torches. He watches as they hoist his effigy in the air before cutting off its head and lighting the body on fire. Andrew swallows and grows pale. Outside, another man grabs a rock and throws it through the window, shattering the glass. Andrew jumps

startled as the stone skids across the floor. Spurred on by the window breaking, the crowd climbs his fence and swarms onto his front porch. Andrew runs. out the back door and flees to the safety of a neighbor's house as the rioters ransack his property and destroy everything but the wine in his cellar, which they drink in celebration. After this experience, Andrew decides his new job just isn't worth it, and three days later, he resigns. But this is just the beginning of the unrest. As the British Parliament continues to impose taxes on the American colonies, the anger will grow and grow until the colonists strike back with an iconic act of defiance on December 16, 1773.

Before we get back to the episode, a quick update on my live tour. The first show will be in Dallas, Texas on March 6th at the Granada Theater. It's going to be a thrilling evening of history, storytelling, and music, looking back to explore the days that made America. And did I mention music? Yes, because I'm bringing a full band with me. So come out and see me live in Dallas. For more information on tickets and upcoming dates,

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50. From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily. History is made every day.

On this podcast Every day, We tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is December 16, 1773, the Boston Tea Party. It's December 17, 1765, a chilly winter's day in Boston, four months after the mob raided Andrew Oliver's house. Andrew adjusts his wig nervously as he steps onto his front porch to face another crowd of angry men. He reminds them that he's already resigned his post months ago,

but these men aren't satisfied with his resignation. They insist that Andrew swears in front of the whole town that he will never again work as a stamp man. Andrew understands why they're angry. Britain may need funds to administer its growing empire and to fill the hole in his finances left by the French and Indian War, but the Stamp Act is unfair. It demands the colonists pay a tax on printed materials,

things they use every day like newspapers, legal documents, wills, even playing cards. Stamp men, like Andrew, are meant to issue a stamp on these goods to show that the tax has been paid, but many colonists have refused to comply. On the other side of the Atlantic, debate rages in the British Parliament about the unruly American colonists. Many want them brought to heal, but some are more sympathetic, like the Irish politician Isaac Barre, who describes these colonists as sons of liberty. Today, Andrew Oliver wishes these sons of liberty currently standing on his front porch would just leave him

alone. But they're not going anywhere. Not until Andrew swears an oath. It's humiliating, but to deny them would be dangerous. The sons of liberty are a strange hodgepodge, wherein businessmen and politicians rubbed shoulders with bar brawlers and drunken whalers. It's a motley crew, and the only thing they have in common is their hatred for Andrew. So Andrew buttons his coat and follows the rabble to the elm tree in town, now known as the Liberty Tree. In as loud a voice as he can muster, Andrew promised. that he will never again enforce the Stamp Act. The large crowd of onlookers cheer with delight.

But these Bostonians aren't the only ones who are sick and tired of British tyranny. The discontent is spreading throughout the colonies, fueled by the Sons of Liberty and their motto, no taxation without representation. In the coming weeks, the Sons of Liberty will keep the pressure on, boycotting British goods and attacking custom houses and the homes of tax collectors. Finally, after months of protest, in March of 1766, the British Parliament votes to repeal the Stamp Act.

But the very same day, the British send a message to the colonies when Parliament passes the declaratory acts, asserting that the British government has unrestrained legislative power over the colonies. Parliament will use that power to pass the Townsend's Act in 1767, which include the imposition of new taxes on imported goods like paint, China, glass, lead, and tea. It's June 10th, 1768, dusk in Boston Harbor, and one year after the Townsendax. John Hancock, a wealthy shipping magnate, stands at the water's edge, his fists clenched as he watches British soldiers swarm over his ship, The Liberty. Just yesterday, a customs official accused Hancock of smuggling wine into the harbor to avoid the tariffs brought about by the Townsendax. Hancock denied the charges, but the British officials didn't believe him, and now they are taking possession of his ship.

Hancock is frustrated, but he's not surprised. This isn't the first time he's endured harassment. A few weeks ago, Hancock had to forcibly eject a customs official from one of his ships when he found the man searching his holds without a warrant. Today, as he watches the British officials commandeer the liberty, he's angry, but he's not the only one. A crowd has started to gather at the harbor. Hancock is popular among the townsfolk, especially with his sons of liberty. He's well known for standing up to the British. So the crowd watching has swelled to as many as 3,000 people. Enraged, the mob then marches to the home of the official collector of the port,

but he is at home. So they return to the harbor, where the official maintains a pleasure boat. The mob drags this boat from the water all the way to the Liberty Tree, and there, after conducting a mock trial, they lighted on fire. Meanwhile, the British maintain that John Hancock is a smuggler and have filed charges. He'll have his day in court and will be defended by John Adams, a founding father and future president of the United States. Adams will get the charges against Hancock dropped, but the British will not return Hancock's ship. Instead, they will repurpose the liberty to serve as part of the British Royal Navy,

using Hancock's ship to patrol for custom violations. In retaliation, disgruntled American colonists will board the liberty and burn it in protest. But the turmoil in Boston Harbor is just beginning. The British will send more troops to occupy the city, but they will not succeed in quelling the unrest. Rather, the growing number of redcoats will unite the colonists, pushing them one step closer to revolution. The idea of the joffautiourgna. We're uscala to take asioes, because they are

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The air is frigid and the streets are lying with snow. A British private named Hugh White stands guard outside the Customs House on King Street, the place where British official collect taxes, Just after 9 p.m., a group of young men, American colonists, approach White and begin to taunt him. Tensions have been high between the colonists and the British soldiers for some time. Many colonists, like these young men, resent the presence of the red coats in Boston, just like they resent the high tariffs imposed by the Townsendax. As the colonists continue to taunt him, Private White grows increasingly angry.

Fed up at the constant barrage of insults, Weist hoists his heavy gun in the air and strikes one of the young men. Word of this assault quickly spreads throughout the streets. And soon, the small group of young colonists grows into a large group of angry colonists. Among them, Crispus Attics, a multiracial sailor who was part African American and part Nantucket Indian. Outnumbered Private White retreats to the top of the steps in front of the Customs House. He loads his gun and threatens to open fire. The crowd below answers White by pelting him with ice and snow.

White calls for reinforcements, and soon seven armed British soldiers arrive on the scene. In the midst of this tense standoff, someone cries out fire. The soldiers discharge their weapons into the crowd. Crispus Attics falls to the slushy ground, a crimson puddle growing beneath him from the hole the musket ball tore through his flesh. Christmas Addicts is the first man to die in the American Revolution. When the smoke clears two more colonists are dead. Two others will die later as a result of their wounds.

The fallen will be treated as heroes, their bodies transported to Boston's fannel hall, where they lie in state for three days. More than half of Boston's population will join the procession carrying the victim's caskets to the graveyard. In a twist of irony, though, on the same day as the Boston Massacre, the Prime Minister of Great Britain

asks Parliament to repeal the Townsend Acts. But it will take time for the news to cross the ocean, and it wasn't a complete repeal. The British want to retain some symbol of power over the colonies, so they cancel the taxes on everything but tea. It's the afternoon of December 16, 1773, in Milton, Massachusetts, three years after the Boston Massacre.

Francis Roach, a ship of, owner, shivers in the icy wind as he waits outside the home of Thomas Hutchinson, the acting governor of Massachusetts. Francis traveled 10 miles south from Boston to confront Hutchison. He's stuck in the middle of a tea crisis. Two of his ships, the Dartmouth and the beaver, are docked in Boston Harbor, their holds packed with tea. But the American colonists do not want Francis to unload his cargo because it belongs to the British East India Tea Company. months ago, Parliament passed the Tea Act, a law designed to save the failing East India Tea Company from bankruptcy. The Tea Act lowered the duty the company paid on tea to the British government, and in so doing, gave such a cost advantage to the East India Tea Company that they enjoyed a de facto monopoly, undercutting the business of colonial merchants.

So today, the colonists want Francis to return this tea back to London. But Francis's ships can't leave the harbor without permission from the acting governor. So far, Hutchinson has refused. He wants the tea unloaded immediately so he can collect the tea tax as small as it is. At last, Governor Hutchinson comes to the door. Francis pleads with him for permission to sail back to London. But once again, the governor refuses. Irritated, Francis gets back into his carriage.

He tells the driver to make for Boston and fast. He has a message to deliver. When Francis's carriage arrives in Boston, he heads straight for the Old South Meeting House, where hundreds wait for his arrival. As Francis opens the door of the meeting house, the heat of the packed bodies hits his cold cheeks. He pushes into the room and explains that Governor Hutchinson will not allow his ships to leave until the tea is unloaded and the tax is paid. The crowd groans with frustration.

There are representatives of several towns here, men of all ages, colors, and creeds, but all sick of being forced to accept taxes imposed without their consent. Samuel Adams, one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty, climbs on top of a bench and begins shouting, this meeting can do nothing more to save the country, and the crowd roars in agreement. Soon, Samuel Adams and the other members of the Sons of Liberty take to the streets and matters into their own hands.

And through a brazen act of defiance, they will strike a blow for liberty. It's late at night on December 16, 1773, at Griffin's Wharf in Boston Harbor. Not long after Francis Roch made his way into the Old South Meeting House. George Hughes, a Boston shoemaker, stands with a somber group of men at the water's edge. In the moonlight, George can make out the furled sails of the ships they plan to raid. Further out, he sees the shadows of British gunships.

His heart begins to pound with excitement and trepidation. The Sons of Liberty have come up with a daring plan. The British want the tea unloaded, so the colonists decide to give them what they want, and unload it into the water. The plan is so audacious that the men have disguised themselves as Mohawk tribesmen. They've rubbed coal dust on their faces

and put feathers in their hair in an attempt to make their disguises authentic. There are three ships held to ransom the harbor, Francis Roch's ships, the Dartmouth and Beaver, and another ship, the Eleanor. As George Hughes boards the Dartmouth, he asked the bleary-eyed captain for the keys to the hatches and a dozen candles.

Then he helps haul the first chest of tea onto the deck. He smashes his hatchet into the lid and the scent of tea fills the air. George drags the splintered chest onto the gunwale of the ship. The chest balances there for a moment and falls into the harbor with a splash. Over the next three hours, the Sons of Liberty will throw 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The British government will react with fury. It will close the port of Boston, impose martial law, and implement another set of harsh laws, known as the intolerable acts. But this will only fan the flames of revolution.

In 1775, British soldiers will cut down the Liberty Tree, but still the rebels will not be cowed. A year later, in 1776, the American colonies will be on a path to freedom from Britain at last, as John Hancock is the first to sign the Declaration of Independence. Three years prior, Hancock had written, No one circumstance could possibly have taken place more effective, to unite the colonies than this maneuver of the tea.

All on that frigid night in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773. Next on History Daily, December 17, 1398, the mighty nomadic warlord Timor captures and sacks the Indian city of Delhi, causing the deaths of 100,000 people. From Noisor and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham. Audio editing by Molly Bach, sound designed by Derek Barron's, music by Lindsay Graham. This episode is written and researched by Vanessa DeHan.

Executive producers are Steve Walters for airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.