Boston Tea Party Essay

The American Revolution was an uprising that arose from the rejection of British colonial rule and an ardent desire for independence. Although this event did not begin until 1765, there we many political, economic, and ideological disagreements that set the stage for the commencement of the American Revolution. Significantly, the Seven Years' War fought between the British and the French with the aid of Native American allies was an event that ended in the British imposing higher taxes on the colonies in order to eliminate their national debt. Subsequently, reforms such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, Townshend Act, and the Tea Act which the British Parliament passed allowed them to collect taxes from the colonies to raise money for the Crown.

Most notably, the Boston Tea Party was an event in which colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor to protest the duty that was to be paid when the tea ships were unloaded. In 1776, one of the most important documents in American history, the Declaration of Independence, was an official document in which the Continental Congress declared their independence from British colonial rule, citing grievances that led to the colonists’ move for freedom and separation from Great Britain. Consequently, we see the brutal war for independence be fought between the British forces and their colonies. However, this was not a simple war fought between merely Americans and the British, it was a war that affected diverse groups of Americans in different ways. The American Revolution meant something different to these groups who were heavily ostracized and discriminated against during this period: Native Americans, African Americans, and

With the onset of the conflict, African American slaves were offered a chance at freedom if they were to side and fight with the British army. In fact, it is estimated that around 5,000 Black colonists sought freedom by fighting in the British army (Kerry). One enslaved African American, Boston King, took the route to freedom by escaping his enslaver and joining the British army. Although he was caught and enslaved again, he escaped once more and was then brought to Canada. King endured the plight of smallpox and other horrors while fighting for the British, nonetheless, this was brought to an end after the revolution concluded. However, news quickly spread of the American victory and how enslavers were coming up north to capture their slaves who had found freedom by siding with the British. Hence, intense fear and uneasiness overcame the African Americans who were in this predicament. The terrors that these freed African Americans experienced with the realization of their independence potentially being stripped away from them is best described in this quote by Boston King: “Many of the slaves had very cruel masters, so that the thoughts of returning home with them embittered life to us” (Kerry). Nevertheless, the British then promised the protection and independence of any African Americans who had fought on