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Real Cool History for Kids
The Boston Tea Party: Tea, Taxes, and Trouble (This episode is for Max Hanna!)
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Foreign. This is Angela Odell, and you are listening to Real Cool History for Kids, a podcast show featuring history told from a distinctly biblical worldview perspective. Welcome to an adventure. Welcome to episode 180 of Real Cool History for Kids. This episode is for Max Hannah, who wanted to hear the exciting story of the Boston Tea Party. Hey, Max, this one's for you. Today's story is about one of the most important events that happened before the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. The Declaration of Independence marked the birth of the United States of America. And guess what? This year, America is celebrating its 250th birthday. That means for 250 years, Americans have remembered the brave men and women who helped the build our country and protect its freedom. So it's an important year, you guys. Really important. The Boston Tea Party was one of the moments that helped lead the colonies toward independence. Have you ever heard the phrase no taxation without representation? That famous saying became very important in the years before the American Revolution. And one of the biggest moments connected to that idea happened on a cold December night in Boston Harbor. Today, we're going to learn about a group of colonists who disguised themselves, climbed aboard ships in the dark, and dumped hundreds of chests of tea into the icy water below. But to understand why they would do something like this, we need to go back just a little bit at first. Okay, so in the 1760s and 1770s, the American colonies still belonged to Great Britain. King George III ruled over the colonies, and the British government made laws for the colonies to follow. Right. Well, the problem was that many colonists felt like they were being treated unfairly. You see, the British government had spent a lot of money fighting wars, and especially the French and Indian War that was fought right here in America a couple of decades before the Revolution. Well, afterward, after that war, Britain decided that the colonies should help pay for those wars through taxes. Colonies all over the. All over the globe that belonged to the British Empire were taxed to pay for those wars. The colonists in America did not completely object to paying taxes, but what upset them was that they had no representation in the British Parliament. So, just as a side note, you guys, up till this time in history, colonies didn't have a voice in the government. This was not something new. This was not something that was just unique to the American colonies. But here's the thing. The American colonies had been governing themselves for a long time, and they knew that they could do it themselves. They knew that they could make good laws for themselves and have their local governments. So it was very Important for them to have that freedom to govern themselves. And with these taxes, they were realizing, you know what? The government on the other side of the ocean has no idea what it's like to be an American. They have no idea what it's like to run our colonies. So how do they have a right to tell us how to run our own colonies? So that is one of the big things that they really were starting to stand up against. They were like, you know what? That kind of government is archaic. That means it's old, it's worn out, it's used up. It's time to move on in history and let people govern themselves. Okay? So the taxes really weren't that big of a problem because they were illegal. They were a problem because the colonies had outgrown them. So the king and the Parliament were making decisions for these people who were living thousands, thousands of miles away across the ocean. And the colonists believed that this was unfair. They wanted a voice in that government that was taxing them and making their laws, and they did not want to be told that they couldn't govern themselves. So over time, the tension grew and grew stronger. And you know what? It just got to a breaking point. Britain passed the laws like the Stamp act and the Townshend Act. And you know what? These taxes were really, really difficult for the Americans because they were tired of paying for them. They taxed different goods that the Americans used every day. So the American colonists protested. Some merchants refused to sell British products, and angry crowds sometimes gathered in the streets. Then, in 1773, Parliament passed something called the Tea Act. Now, why was this such a big deal? Well, the colonists believed that Britain was trying to trick them into accepting Parliament's right to tax them without representation. Tea was extremely important in the colonies. Nowadays, people drink coffee. You know, some people drink tea, but most of us drink coffee. Well, the tea of that time was like the coffee of today, okay? It was extremely popular. People drank it every day. Britain allowed the East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonies, which hurt many local merchants and smugglers who sold tea themselves. So it was taking away money from the American tea sellers. Many of the colonists believed accepting the tea would mean giving up their rights. One of the loudest voices against British control was a man named Samuel Adams. And we've talked about him in other podcasts, so you may recognize his name. He was a leader in Boston who encouraged colonists to stand together against unfair laws. In late 1773, three ships arrived in Boston harbor carrying large amounts of tea. These ships were called the Dartmouth, the Eleanor and the Beaver. Those were the three ships names. Well, the colonists demanded that those ships were return to England without unloading the tea. But Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the ships to leave. The situation became more tense every day. Finally, on the evening of December 16, 1773, thousands of colonists gathered at a meeting house in Boston to discuss what to do next. That meeting lasted forever hours. As darkness fell, a group of men quietly slipped away. Many of them disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians. Historians believe they did this partly to hide their identity and partly as a symbol that they considered themselves to be Americans rather than the British subjects. And the men moved through the cold streets towards the harbor. What were they going to do? Can you just imagine this? The weather was freez the cold harbor, water slapped against the wooden docks, lantern lights flickered in the darkness and suddenly these men climbed aboard the ships and got to work. They used hatchets and their bare hands and they broke open the chest of tea and they dumped it all into the harbor, splash after splash after splash. And by the end of the night they had thrown 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. That was an enormous amount of tea worth a very, very large amount of money for that time. What is especially interesting is that the protesters were actually very careful in some ways. They did not steal anything else from the ships. They did not attack the sailors, they only destroyed the tea. One story even says that when a padlock on a box was accidentally broken, someone replaced it the next day. Hey guys, I'm going to take a break. A quick break right here in the middle of our story about the Boston Tea Party to give a shout out to a recent podcast reviewer who says this about real cool history for kids. We homeschool and I am so grateful for this podcast. My son loves history, but he is young and history can be pretty PG13 and R rated at times. I love that I can trust that this history will always be delivered on a family friendly level and from a God center perspective. Thank you, thank you. Thank you so much for leaving this review. Naomi it is an honor to serve your family in this way. This episode is made possible in part by the Chronicles of Liberty, a brand new adventure series written by me, Angela o' Dell and Sonia Henninga and published through Jelly Bean jar Publications. Join Ms. Agatha Liberty, a brave little mouse living beneath Independence hall as she uncovers the story of America's founding alongside the people who helped shape the nation. Filled with courage and faith and humor and real history, the Chronicles of Liberty Book one invites young Readers into a hidden world where even the smallest voice can tell an amazing story. The Chronicles of Liberty, book one will be available this Friday at Angelaodell.com now, let's get back to our story. When news of the Boston Tea Party reached Britain, the government was furious. King George III and Parliament believed the colonists had gone way too far. In response, they passed harsh laws called the Coercive Act. The colonists called them the Intolerable Acts because they believed the laws were just ridiculously unbearable. Boston harbor was closed until the destroyed tea was paid for. British soldiers gained more control over Massachusetts, and colonists became even more upset. But instead of frightening the colonies into obedience, this punishment actually brought many colonies to closer together. Now, remember, you guys, these colonies were individual. They were unique little entities unto themselves. And if you look at a map of the thirteen colonies, the original thirteen colonies, you will see that they are all along the east coast. And those 13 colonies became the first 13 states, okay? So those colonies were used to governing themselves individually. They didn't see themselves as united at all. Right now, we are the United States of America, but the colonies were individual. It's very important to understand that. So at this point in history, the British response to the Boston Tea Party was aimed at Massachusetts, the colony of Massachusetts. And the British government decided to make an example of Massachusetts so that the other colonies could see what happened when a colony rebelled against the king and Parliament. But what happened instead was that it made the other colonies go, wait a minute. If that could happen to Massachusetts, it could happen to us. We need to stand closer together. We need to be more united. They weren't completely united, but they needed to stand up for each other. And that's what they started to realize. So the colonists became very upset about it. And so it actually drew those colonies closer together. People began realizing that Britain might continue taking away their freedoms unless the colonies stood together. The Boston Tea Party became one of the most important events leading to the American Revolution. Now, it's important to understand something here. The Bible teaches us to respect authority, doesn't it? It says to seek peace whenever possible. There's that little key word or that phrase right there, whenever possible. Romans 13 reminds us that government has an important purpose. But history also shows us that people have wrestled with difficult questions when they believe their rights and freedoms that God gave them are being violated or taken away by other people who are using government against the people. Many of the colonists believed that they were standing against against injustice and defending freedoms that they believed were God given. And one thing we can learn from this story is that actions have consequences, right? The Boston Tea Party changed history. The colonists knew there could be serious punishment, and they were right. But they believed what they were doing really mattered. Not just for them, but for the future generations of Americans. And we also learn how important it is to stand together for truth and justice in wise and honorable ways. And finally, this story reminds us that ordinary people can become part of extraordinary moments in history. Right? I think that is one of the most important things to remember. God puts us here for such a time as this. We are here on purpose. Most of the men who climbed aboard those ships were not famous generals or kings. They were merchants. They were craftsmen and workers and everyday citizens who believed their choices mattered. And those choices helped shape the future of an entirely new nation. The story of the Boston Tea Party also teaches us about courage, doesn't it? Conviction. Right. And freedom. And the importance of standing up with wisdom and character. They didn't go in there and just destroy those ships in anger. They very carefully went right to the tea. They took care of that tea. They tossed it in the harbor. They didn't. They didn't hurt the sailors. They didn't hurt the ships. They just did what they knew they needed to do with the tea. So that is important. It is not okay. It is not okay to destroy property and to vandalize and to hurt other people. To get your point across, okay. It has never been okay. It never will be okay. So that's another very important lesson that we can learn. Before I close out this episode, I want to let you know about something new that we are getting ready to add to the Real Cool History for Kids homepage on my website, Angelaodell.com starting soon, you will be able to send in your episode request with your own voice recordings. That means you might hear your voice at the beginning of future episodes. We're also creating a special place where families can leave short audio messages and videos to share what they've been learning together through the podcast. I am so excited about this because one of my very favorite things about hosting Real Cool History for Kids is hearing how families all over the world are learning history together. I love that. I'll tell you more about all of this in the next few episodes, so keep listening. Okay? And now it's time for this episode's birthday shout outs. Happy birthday to Stella Roseanne who was born on September 28th. Happy birthday to Trinity Grace Gilliam who turned 3 on April 14th. Happy birthday to Teddy, who turned 1 on May 16th. Happy birthday to Oliver McNeil who is turning 5 on May 20th. Happy birthday to August Crystal, who is turning 9 on May 22nd. Happy birthday to Ezra Davies, who is turning 9 on May22nd. Happy birthday to Joyce and Tifonte, who is turning 2 on May 23rd. Happy birthday to Crosby Nolan, who is turning 8 on May 24th. Happy birthday to Myla Stutzman, who is turning 11 on May 24th. Happy birthday To Reese Wheeler, who is turning 6 on May 24th. Happy birthday, Kay, who is turning 7 on May 24th. Happy birthday of Emily Bauer, who is turning 6 on May 25th. Happy birthday to Mila Ferrari, who is turning 4 on May 25th. Happy birthday To Cohen Dinsmore, who is turning 7 on May 27th. Happy birthday to Harrison Engel, who is turning 10 on May 27th. And happy birthday to Walker Burnett Moorhead, who is turning 10 on May 30th. Happy birthday to all of you from the Real Cool History for Kids family. I hope you all have enjoyed this adventure in history today. Thank you so much for allowing me to tell you the incredible stories of history that teach us all about our world and give us a glimpse of our great and mighty God. I'll meet you here soon for our next episode of Real Cool History for Kids. Until then, with the help and grace of Jesus our Savior, be the best you ever.