2023 marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a ‘criminal’ act struck in the name of liberty, said by President John Adams to be ‘the most magnificent Movement of all.’
The British government decided to recoup money from the American colonies after preventing the French from occupying them during the Seven Years’ War. Many Americans resented the arbitrary way this taxation was raised. They rejected British attempts at a Stamp Act, which would have meant paying a tax on almost every printed part of life, from wills and newspapers to playing cards. Instead, Britain withdrew the act but reserved rights to place excise duties on imports, including tea. The new tea taxation was particularly insensitive, since it was designed to keep the East India Company solvent, rather than considering the wishes of the American colonists.
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