Boston Tea Party

Ayesha Fayyaz

Prof Molly

Date 04/13/2015

Boston Tea Party

After the seven years of war, Britain was under debt. British parliament decided to pay war debt by imposing taxes on colonists. Stamp act was passed in 1765. Colonist showed great out raged on this act. Colonists protested against it because they believed that parliament has no right to make colonist pay these taxes. Like colonists, British merchants and businessmen were also opposing these taxes because colonist boycotted British goods. Due to protests, parliament repealed the stamp act in 1766. O the same day, declaratory act was passed which many colonists also opposed. Some Americans were happy in British Empire because of the security and safety.

In 1767, British parliament decided to stop taxation on everything except the tea. Colonists were constantly protesting against taxes and boycotted British goods so parliament had to repealed tax acts except tax on tea. Parliament found The Tea Act a way out of war debt. In 1773, British ships carried 50,000 pounds of tea from East India Company to Boston, New York and Philadelphia. Colonists dumped all the tea in Boston Harbor on November 28, 1773. Colonists did this because they didn’t want to pay taxes on British tea. This incident is known as Boston Tea Party. After this incident intolerable acts were passed.

Battle of Saratoga

1776-1777 years weren’t good for America because they lost NYC and Philadelphia. Battle of Saratoga is known as turning point of revolutionary battle. On September 19th, British General John Burgoyne, tried to pass through the heavy marshy area covered with big tress to get into Hudson valley so that he would meet other British troops under the supervision of William Howe. His 1800 men including mercenaries met at Bennington. William Howe decided to attack the capital at Philadelphia and New York City rather than commanding his army to meet up with Burgoyne and cut off New England from the other Colonies. The American forces were under the command of General Horatio Gates and General Benedict Arnold.

On the first week of October, the British troops and armed colonial Americans crashed in south of Saratoga. Burgoyne army was broken. The colonists hiding in the woods shot them. Mercenary officer also died. Arnold efforts were so successful and the British troops so beaten down that General Burgoyne was forced to surrender a few days at Saratoga.

This victory gave a new life to the American colonist because they’ve had enough critical time. Moreover, the French declared recognition of the United States of America and fully supported their war of independence.