America 250 Decade of Celebration Programs
This site developed and maintained by the America 250 SAR Programs Committee
2023 Boston Tea Party
December 16, 1773 / December 16, 2023
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest that occurred on December 16, 1773, at Griffin’s Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. It showed Great Britain that Americans wouldn’t take taxation and tyranny sitting down, and rallied American patriots across the 13 colonies to fight for independence.
Source: History Channel
Quick Boston Tea Party Program Links
Chronicles of the American Revolution
Revolutionary TimesAmerica 250 SAR ProgramsKeyholes to HistoryMassachusetts Historical SocietyEncyclopedia BritannicaThe History ChannelHistoric Museum ships of the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party Youth Programs
American Ancestors Boston Tea Party Participant Biographies
December 16th Reenactment
Event Poster
Did you know? It took nearly three hours for more than 100 colonists to empty the tea into Boston Harbor. The chests held more than 90,000 lbs. (45 tons) of tea, which would cost nearly $1,000,000 dollars today.
Coins
Pins
Patches
Here is some merchandise specific to the Boston Tea Party Program that you can purchase in the SAR Store America 250 Section. Available Soon.
2024 First Continental Congress
September 5-October 26, 1774/
September 5-October 26, 2024
The First Continental Congress convened in Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between September 5 and October 26, 1774. Delegates from twelve of Britain’s thirteen American colonies met to discuss America’s future under growing British aggression. The list of delegates included many prominent colonial leaders, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, and two future presidents of the United States, George Washington and John Adams. Delegates discussed boycotting British goods to establish the rights of Americans and planned for a Second Continental Congress.
Source:MountVernon.org
The First Continental Congress was prompted by the Coercive Acts, known in America as the Intolerable Acts, which Parliament passed in early 1774 to reassert its dominance over the American colonies following the Boston Tea Party.