Current Politics Aside: The Original Tea Party
If Sarah Palin had her way, she’d have you believe there is only one tea party we should be thinking about. Not true, and lest we forget the moniker that has now become somewhat of a political hot button, perhaps a lesion in History 101 of the “original” tea party is in order. It all started back in 1773 as a direct action by colonists in Boston against the British government and the Tea Act since colonists believed the tax violated their right to only be taxed by their own elected representatives. In response to the proposed taxation American patriots dressed as Indians and threw 342 chests of tea from three British ships into Boston Harbor. Led by Samuel Adams the action was intended to prevent payment of the proposed tax and also protest the monopoly by Britain on the colonial tea trade authorized by the Tea Act of 1773, and wasn’t really considered a “party” since the term did not appear in print until 1834 having previously been referred to merely as the “destruction of tea.” But since “tea party” has a nice tongue-in-cheek tone it’s easy to understand how the descriptor has withstood the test of time and is now newly adopted as a political stance against what is perceived as increases in government spending. But after all the current political dust settles, let’s remember to pay homage to how the original Boston Tea Party really played out.