The Boston Tea Party

Author Rebecca Paley
Illustrator Kelley McMorris
Originally Published © 2018 American Girl
ISBN 9781338148930
 

What Was the Boston Tea Party?

December 16, 1773 was a chilly day in Boston. Everybody woke up, huddled under wool blankets, and put their kettles on the fire for a bit of… something warm. What they wanted was a warm cup of tea. Unfortunately, throughout the thirteen colonies, England’s King George III had implemented a tax on all tea that was imported from England. The money from the tax would go directly to Britain.

Many colonists, called Patriots, decided to fight against the taxes. Others stayed loyal to the King, and were considered “friends of the government,” or Loyalists. Many Patriots resided in Boston. They decided to boycott the English tea by refusing to buy it. Some Patriots made threats against the tax agents whose job it was to collect the taxes.

In the fall of 1773, a huge shipment of tea crossed the Atlantic Ocean. The crates of tea sat off the docks of Boston Harbor. When the crew tried to unload the tea, Patriots would block their path. All over the city, handbills were posted that stated that the detested tea had arrived in the harbor. For three weeks, Patriot leaders asked the ships’ captains to return to Britain with the tea, but they wouldn’t budge.

December 16, 1773 was the deadline. At this time, the colonists would have no choice but to pay the tea taxes or be fined or thrown in jail. But the Patriots refused to back down. They believed the freedom of the colonies was at stake. If they gave in to the taxes, more injustices would follow.

As the people of Boston looked out their windows at the tea-laden ships in the harbor, they had no idea the events of the day would turn into the Boston Tea Party, and eventually lead to the birth of the United States of America.

 

November 27, 1773

Felicity Merriman and her father are sailing to Boston on a ship called the Dove. When she’s on the deck, Felicity feels the wind on her face, and her cloak billows out behind her. She’s very excited to see her father’s brother, Uncle George, as well as her Aunt Charlotte and Cousin Charles. Charles is sixteen now, and has his very own horse!

Father is eager to meet with Uncle George. Uncle George imports goods from England, and helps provide supplies to Father’s store to sell in Williamsburg. But the taxes have Father worried. The imported goods have gotten so expensive that Father is nervous he’ll go into debt buying them for the store. He’s already had to raise his prices, and his customers are unhappy about that. Felicity hopes Uncle George will be able to help Father lower prices so his customers are happy again.

 

New World, New Freedoms

Almost two hundred years before the Boston Tea Party, Europeans were exploring and claiming parts of the New World. Once forests were cleared, Europeans could grow corn, beans, and other crops in North America’s rich land. So, Europeans began to settle there in the 1500s.

Life in the New World wasn’t easy. Many settlers died from disease or starvation during the dangerous trip across the ocean. Many got sick with yellow fever and malaria. When Europeans tried to claim land that Native Americans were already living on for thousands of years, they found the Native Americans wouldn’t give up land without a fight.

But by the start of the 1600s, enough Europeans were living in the New World that they began to set up colonies, and the Europeans became known as colonists. The first British colony was set up in Jamestown, Virginia on May 14, 1607. The colonists there struggled to grow food and find clean drinking water. And mosquitoes and other insects carried diseases. Out of the one hundred colonists who settled there, eighty became ill and died within the first three years. But after those initial struggles, the colony began to thrive and grow. They planted tobacco, and they made money by selling the leaves back to English companies.

In 1620, another group of English settlers landed on Plymouth Rock, forming the Plymouth Colony. These settlers became known as Pilgrims. They arrived on the Mayflower. Many people thought young girls weren’t strong enough to make the journey across the ocean, but the Mayflower sailed with eleven girls. The oldest girl, Priscilla Mullins, traveled with her father, mother, and brother when she was seventeen years old. But she was the only one in her family to survive the first brutal Massachusetts winter.

In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by about four hundred settlers. By 1640, as many as twenty thousand settlers had arrived from England. Many of them left England because the official religion, the Church of England, was against their particular form of Christianity.

While religious freedom was one reason people traveled to the colonies, the colonies also provided an easier way for people to have a say in government. Any white male landowner could vote, and that wasn’t the case in England. In addition, the New World provided new ways to earn money because the land was rich in natural resources. There were trees for fuel and lumber, and animals for food and fur. Settlers would build mills for sawing lumber and grinding wheat and corn. Others would pull cod, lobsters, whales, and more from the Atlantic Ocean.

Despite all of this, life was still hard. There were outbreaks of smallpox, which was often fatal for the settlers. And food could be hard to grow in the rocky soil of some parts of the New World. The Great Boston Fire of 1760 destroyed nearly 350 buildings and left more than a thousand homeless. Still, the British colonies continued to grow.

 

November 28, 1773

Today, Felicity and her father arrive in Boston Harbor. The Dove docks at Griffin’s Wharf next to another ship, Dartmouth, which came all the way from England. Felicity watches a group of stern men line up on the wharf blocking Dartmouth’s crew from unloading cargo. A man on the wharf calls out, “We don’t want your tea!”

Uncle George hurries Felicity and Father away from the wharf. When Father asks what’s going on, Uncle George responds that the colonists have demanded that Dartmouth return to England. The colonists don’t want to buy or sell the tea and pay the taxes on it. But Thomas Hutchinson, the “King’s man,” has refused the colonists’ demand.

As they walk through the streets, Felicity notices two British soldiers in red coats. Uncle George explains the King has sent soldiers to police the colonists, and nobody’s happy about that.

Aunt Charlotte welcomes them inside her home with a cup of tea. But it’s not real tea. Aunt Charlotte explains she brewed it from herbs she grew in the garden. No tea from England is drunk in her house.

Felicity sees the Boston Merrimans are Patriots. Sympathy for the Patriot cause begins to grow in Felicity’s heart.

 

Fighting the French and the Indians

By 1755, there were nearly two million British living in the thirteen colonies. The colonies were: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, South Carolina, and Virginia. But the British colonists weren’t the only Europeans who had claimed land in the New World. There were also sixty thousand French colonists.

The French controlled a lot of land. They formed important friendships with the Ottawa, Shawnee, and other Native American tribes, who would trade North American furs, such as beaver, bear, fox, and mink, with the French. Then, the French could sell the furs back to Europe for a nice profit.

As the fur trade grew, the French started to claim more land in North America. But the British wanted the land, too, and small skirmishes would break out between the two nations. In 1754, war was declared.

At first, it seemed the French would win the war. They had a bigger army, and many Native Americans fought on their side. For four years, the French and Indians won battle after battle. The members of the British government weren’t concerned, though. Their attitude was “Let Americans fight Americans.”

But one British statesman, William Pitt, saw the importance of winning the war. He convinced Parliament to put him in charge of the war and to give him all the money he needed. This became the turning point in the war. Britain was richer than France, and the British Royal Navy was superior to France’s. Soon, the tides began to turn in the British colonists’ favor. Some Shawnee Native Americans even decided to switch sides.

On September 8, 1760, the French soldiers and their remaining Native American allies surrendered. It took three years for Britain and France to work out the terms of their surrender, but on September 3, 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed. France had to give up almost all of the land it had claimed in North America.

Although this was a major victory for Britain, it left enormous debts. Parliament came up with a solution: they would tax the colonists to make up the debt. After all, if not for the British military, the colonists would all be under French rule now. But the colonists didn’t see it this way. They fought hard and bravely to defend their own lives and liberty. Many believed they wouldn’t need the support of the mother country. These taxes were more than they could bear.

 

November 28, 1773

Outside Uncle George’s house is a handbill nailed to a tree trunk. It writes angry things about the King of England and the tea tax and announces a public meeting to discuss what to do about the shipload of tea in the harbor. It seems like the Bostonians are itching to stir up trouble.

It reminds Felicity about her grandfather. Grandfather was born in England, and came to the Virginia colony as a young man. He loves the King of England and is loyal to him. He says that although they live in America, England is their mother country, so they are all British subjects and should feel proud to be so. Grandfather wouldn’t like the critical things the people of Boston say about the mother country.

Charles tells Felicity that people have even started to secretly say they should break free and declare independence from Britain. Grandfather would call this treason. Felicity is confused. Grandfather loves and respects the King, and she loves and respects Grandfather. But she’s not sure if she can agree with him.

 

Taxation without Representation

The King of Britain didn’t listen to the colonists’ demands. They wanted more money. So, on April 5, 1764, Parliament passed the Sugar Act. This act put a tax on sugar and molasses that were brought in from non-British foreign colonies, and lowered the tax on British goods, thereby forcing colonists to purchase the goods from the British West Indies.

The colonists didn’t think the British West Indies could produce enough molasses for their needs. This was particularly important for the rum makers, who relied on molasses to make their product.

The Sugar Act also put a tax on indigo. In Boston, some merchants decided to stop ordering fine clothing and other luxury goods from Britain. Some people figured the taxes would be lifted. But Britain was just getting started.

On March 22, 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act, which forced colonists to pay taxes on printed papers, newspapers, books, marriage licenses, legal contracts, and playing cards. In protest, angry colonists marched. The protests grew louder and larger as the summer went on. The Sons of Liberty, one of the most vocal groups, included lawyers, merchants, and master craftsmen. They published articles in newspapers or pamphlets. They read articles in loud taverns and other public places. On August 14, 1765, the Sons of Liberty met to protest the taxes and hung an image of the city’s stamp tax agent, Andrew Oliver, on a branch of a tree. The mob lit the image on fire. They marched to Oliver’s home and broke windows and tore down fences. They burst in the door, wanting to confront Oliver. Fortunately for him, he wasn’t there.

The Sons of Liberty also targeted other highly elected officials, such as Thomas Hutchinson, lieutenant governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. On August 26, a mob showed up at his home and smashed his door in with an ax. They looted everything they could, including clothing, silver, and paintings. Hutchinson managed to escape in the nick of time to a neighbor’s house.

Britain was shocked when they heard of the violence. They viewed America as a “rebellious child” who needed to be punished. But in the end, Britain repealed the Stamp Act on March 18, 1766. The protests were hurting British companies financially. However, the war over taxation without representation was far from over.

 

November 28, 1773

Charles brought Felicity outside to visit the stable, where he let her brush his horse, Mercury. Charles discusses how he’s had Mercury since he was a lad. Charles unlocks a cupboard and hands Felicity a document. It’s the bill of sale from when Uncle George purchased Mercury for Charles eight years ago.

Felicity notices a bumpy part on the paper. She asks Charles what it is. Frowning, he explains it’s British robbery. The Stamp Act required that all official paper, like bills of sales, needed extra tax paid on it. The stamp was proof that the tax was paid. Felicity is surprised to learn even playing cards needed the tax. It seems like a silly, petty law.

Charles explains that it’s all about greed. That’s the reason behind the King’s unfair taxes. Uncle George and Aunt Charlotte and others protested so hard that the Stamp Act was repealed. But the people of Boston haven’t forgotten it. And Britain keeps demanding other taxes, like the tax on tea.

Felicity sees it’s no wonder the Patriots’ anger is boiling over. And her sympathy for the Patriots’ cause is growing stronger, too.

 

A Massacre in Boston

The Green Dragon Tavern on Union Street in Boston was always a lively place. And on one particular night, it was especially rowdy. A group of young men from the Sons of Liberty were in a corner, chugging ale and sipping pipes. The shouts and protests grew louder as a man named Samuel Adams stood to speak. He was in his mid-forties and was one of the fiercest Patriots in the colonies. He studied at Harvard College, and all he cared for was justice and liberty for the colonists in America. He led protests and wrote letters to newspapers, like the Boston-Gazette and Country Journal, to express his opinions on freedom and the British government. In Britain, he was known as “the most dangerous man in Massachusetts.” The British disliked Adams for his persuasiveness and opinions that independence from English rule was the best for their future.

That evening, Adams riled up the Sons of Liberty with his account of the British Parliament’s latest attack on liberty: the Townshend Acts. This act would call for new taxes on British goods, such as glass, paint, and tea. That night, the men went home wanting more than ever to fight for their freedom. They wanted their independence from British rule.

Britain sent more soldiers to the colonies to control the crowds and suppress the protests. Tensions between the two groups quickly grew. Patriots continued to boycott British products, and many continued their violent behavior.

In the spring of 1768, a mob rioted when John Hancock’s ship was seized by a tax collector. Hancock was a well-known smuggler of wine. Joseph Harrison, the chief customs agent, suspected Hancock broke the law and wanted to inspect his ship. While British sailors tied Hancock’s boat to one of their ships, angry Bostonians gathered on the docks to protest. Later, a mob vandalized the home of one of the customs officers and burned one of his boats.

King George was frustrated with his “rebellious child.” He dispatched over four thousand soldiers to Boston, a city with less than seventeen thousand residents. This angered the people of Boston. The soldiers became known as Redcoats because of their bright red uniforms.

By 1770, fights between Loyalists and Patriots became more common. Teenagers would taunt the British soldiers by name-calling, and pelting them with rocks, oyster shells, rotten eggs, and more. On March 5, 1770, one of the skirmishes broke out between some boys and soldiers. Although none of the boys were armed, the soldiers were probably on edge because just a few days earlier, a mob of angry Bostonians had beaten up a group of off-duty soldiers.

The scene grew increasingly tense as more Patriots joined the crowd. All of a sudden, someone shouted, “Fire!” A nervous soldier fired his gun, and other soldiers did the same. When the smoke cleared, three colonists were dead, and many more were injured. Five Patriots died that day. The first person killed, Crispus Attucks, is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution. More than twelve thousand people came to the funerals of Attucks and his fellow victims.

Samuel Adams saw this as an opportunity to stir up more resentment towards the British. He began calling the event the Boston Massacre. Paul Revere, one of Adams’ friends, was a well-known silversmith and an excellent horseman. Using his skills as a copperplate engraver, he created political cartoons etched into and printed from sheets of copper. He made a cartoon of the Boston Massacre, showing British troops opening fire against an innocent group of colonists. Although his cartoon wasn’t totally accurate, it succeeded in making Patriots even angrier toward the British.

But King George wasn’t about to give in to the protests. He was ready to hit back even harder.

 

Teatime

Although coffee eventually became America’s favorite hot beverage, the colonists were all about their tea. They’d drink it hot, with cured leaves that were grown in China and shipped to America from England and other parts of Europe. Some colonists believed tea had healing powers, while others simply enjoyed the taste. But everybody drank it all day, and oftentimes, multiple times a day. Afternoon tea was a social event where people would gather in parlors or kitchens. They wouldn’t typically serve food, as customary pastries like crumpets, cakes, and scones didn’t gain popularity until later. A tea party was a sign of status. The lady of the house would use fine silver and china to serve tea to her guests. Even children would host their own tea parties for other children.

Even the Patriots enjoyed their tea. And that’s one of the reasons they were so furious when the Tea Act was passed on May 10, 1773. The East India Company was having financial issues, and they were left with an oversupply of tea. They had produced too much and weren’t selling enough. The colonists had been drinking cheaper Dutch tea that had been smuggled in all throughout the 1700s. By 1772, the East India Company was stuck with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea. Something had to be done, otherwise the tea would rot away in its warehouse.

So, the British government passed the Tea Act. It said the colonists could only purchase tea from the East India Company. The Patriots were frustrated at this. It was another instance of Britain telling them what they could and could not do. They wanted the freedom to make their own decisions. Colonists throughout Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and more protested and urged tea merchants to stop trading with the East India Company. The protestors boycotted the British tea in stores.

A women’s organization, the Daughters of Liberty, began making alternative tea out of herbs and flowers from their own backyards. They participated in protests and riots started by the Sons of Liberty. The Daughters of Liberty also organized “spinning bees,” where groups of women would spin wool together to make up for a shortage of fabric. On one occasion, nearly one hundred Daughters of Liberty came together in Newport, Rhode Island, where they spent the day spinning 170 skeins of yarn to be made into fabric.

Samuel Adams continued to lead the Sons of Liberty in their organizing and plotting. But no matter what, King George and the Parliament would not repeal their Tea Act.

In September 1773, seven British ships containing 600,000 pounds of British tea set sail for Boston. This enraged the Bostonians. A mob took to the streets and attacked the home of Richard Clarke, one of the East India Company’s local merchants. Clarke and his family hid, terrified of the crowd. Eventually, someone fired a gun into the crowd, and the protesters stopped. But in other cities across the coast, protests were successful in intimidating East India Company agents to quit.

As the time passed, the standoff between the Patriots and the Loyalists grew more intense. Messages were sent to Governor Hutchinson repeatedly, telling him to send the ships back to Britain. But he refused. On November 28, 1773, the Dartmouth arrived in Boston. And the arrival of this ship was too much for any of the colonists, no matter whether Loyalist or Patriot, to ignore.

 

December 8, 1773

Now, Felicity has noticed another ship has docked in Boston Harbor. Felicity and her Aunt Charlotte passed them on the way to do some shopping. While out, Felicity peers in a shop window, and sees a lovely china bowl. Although Aunt Charlotte hesitates, the two enter the shop.

Inside, the shopkeeper recognizes Aunt Charlotte. She casually asks Aunt Charlotte to confirm that she’s a Daughter of Liberty. Aunt Charlotte states she is. When the shopkeeper questions why Aunt Charlotte has entered her shop, she responds that Felicity admired the china bowl in the window.

The shopkeeper nods that the bowl is very fine indeed. It was made in Wedgwood, England. Aunt Charlotte doesn’t approve of the shop selling “frippery and finery” that came from Britain. She ought to support the Patriots’ fight for justice.

Felicity’s heart swells with pride to hear her Aunt speak this way. She promises herself that she’ll always stand strong for what she believes is right, just like Aunt Charlotte.

The shopkeeper smirks, and responds that Aunt Charlotte ought to have loyalty to the King. After all, if the ships aren’t sent back to England in the next eight days, the British agents will seize the tea and start selling it, and charging the tax on it anyway. The shopkeeper has common sense, and refuses to stand against the King.

Aunt Charlotte, curtly, says that she has something better than common sense: principles. Aunt Charlotte believes the Patriots are right. The shopkeeper snorts and turns to Felicity, asking if Felicity would like to buy the bowl.

Felicity politely says, “No, thank you.” The bowl from England doesn’t look quite so lovely anymore.

 

The Night of the Party

On the morning of November 29, 1773, the Bostonians woke to the sound of church bells ringing throughout the city. These signaled an emergency. Many left their homes to file onto the streets to investigate.

A meeting was held at the Old South Meeting House to discuss the arrival of the Dartmouth. More than five thousand attended, and the meeting lasted two days. Although the attendees were cold and smelly, none of that mattered when the fate of the colonies hung in the balance.

Samuel Adams spoke, and explained that the Dartmouth had to be unloaded and taxes paid within twenty days. The Patriots didn’t want the tea, and they didn’t want to pay the taxes. So, the Sons of Liberty stationed guards at Griffin’s Wharf to ensure no chests left the ship. They posted more guards when the next ship, Eleanor, arrived on December 2. The third ship, Beaver, entered port on December 15.

Repeated messages were sent back to Governor Hutchinson, demanding that he send the ships back to Britain, but he was steadfast. Over the next several days, the mood throughout Boston darkened. Tensions flared, and nerves grew tense. Patriots and Loyalists could hardly make eye contact with one another. The Sons of Liberty held secret meetings. And they reached a difficult decision: the tea had to be destroyed.

On December 16, the Bostonians made one last final appeal to Governor Hutchinson. Francis Rotch, whose family owned Dartmouth, was sent to Hutchinson’s home to ask permission to take the ship away from Boston. Again, Hutchinson refused. So, Samuel Adams announced that the meeting could do no more to save the country.

Many Sons of Liberty disguised themselves as Mohawk Native Americans, painting their faces with soot and grease. They meant this to be a symbolic gesture to show the colonists’ loyalty to America, as the Native Americans were native to America. The angry crowd poured onto the street. They carried axes, hatchets, and tomahawks. By the time they reached the Harbor, there were nearly one hundred protesters.

Men like Samuel Adams and John Hancock were too recognizable, so they stayed behind. But others carried out the mission. They all had some sort of disguise, and if they couldn’t find one, they’d simply darken their face with soot so they were unrecognizable. Most of the men who took part in the raid were young; only nine men were older than forty, and sixteen of them were teenagers.

The Patriots quietly reached the ships. Onlookers stood, silent. The Patriots split into three groups, one for each ship. They managed to sneak on board, and using pulleys and ropes, hoisted the huge chests of tea, each weighing up to 320 pounds, onto the deck. They split the chests open with axes, slashed through the canvas bags, and dumped the tea leaves overboard.

The men hardly spoke while they worked. Samuel Cooper, who was sixteen years old, accounts that “No noise was heard except the occasional clink of the hatchet.” By 10 PM, the entire cargo of three ships was thrown overboard.

The men swept the decks clean so there were no more tea leaves. They even removed their shoes and shook them out. But many Patriots looked at the tea wistfully. They all wanted the tea leaves, but no tea meant no tea.

As the Patriots made their way back onto the wharf, one of them pulled a fife out, and began playing a tune. The men were exhausted, but exuberant.

 

December 16, 1773 – late afternoon

This afternoon, Felicity, Charles, Uncle George, and Father went to a meeting about the ships in Boston Harbor. Nearly 5,000 people were there, angry that the governor wouldn’t send the ships back to England. That night, while walking home, Charles whispers to Felicity that he intends to help toss the tea off the ships. Felicity nods, and says she’ll help too. Charles begins to argue, but Felicity demands that she’s going, and that’s that.

 

December 17, 1773 – after midnight

Just after dusk on the 16th, Charles and Felicity meet in the stable. Felicity dons her favorite: breeches. Charles and Felicity darken their faces with soot so they’re hard to see and recognize. They rush to join the group headed to Griffin’s Wharf.

They’re ordered to march quietly. Felicity freezes with fear when she sees the British Royal Navy warships patrolling the harbor. There’s nearly one thousand onlookers watching. Charles tells Felicity the onlookers are also there for protection: the British soldiers won’t trouble an innocent crowd.

They group splits into three. Charles and Felicity board the Dartmouth. A familiar voice tells the captain to go belowdecks, and no harm will come to him. The voice is Uncle George!

The group works quietly as shadows. Felicity hears only the creaks of ropes and pulleys hoisting the chests of tea to the deck. Men break open the chests with their axes, and begin tossing the tea overboard. Men in canoes beat down the floating tea so it sinks.

It’s Felicity’s job to sweep the remaining tea off the ship’s deck. Her arms ache and hands begin to blister. But she keeps sweeping until all the tea is gone.

By ten o’clock, it’s over. Felicity hands her broom to a member of Dartmouth’s crew, finds Charles, and descends the gangplank. Together, they trudge home, exhausted. Back in the safety of the stable, they brush the tea leaves off their clothes and scrub the soot from their faces. Felicity is proud of herself—she officially joined the fight for justice.

 

The Party’s Over

As the day broke over Boston, tea leaves blanketed the harbor and their aroma hung in the air. No Patriots spoke of what happened last night, but the mood was joyous nonetheless. Of course the Loyalists were not happy. Governor Hutchinson called the events of December 16 the “boldest strike that has been struck in America.”

News of the tea spread across Boston, thanks to the horseback-riding heroics of Paul Revere. He was sent by the Sons of Liberty to tell as many people as possible. Revere rode all the way to New York, where he arrived on December 21, over two hundred miles. While on his way, he stopped at inns and taverns to tell the locals. Then, he rode another one hundred miles to Philadelphia.

By the end of December, the event that would become the Boston Tea Party was the hottest topic of discussion throughout all thirteen colonies.

On January 19, 1774, King George III finally received the news. It took a while to get to England because the news had to travel by ship across the Atlantic Ocean. He wasn’t very happy! He decided with Parliament to pass the Coercive Acts, which the Patriots later called the Intolerable Acts. The King hoped these acts would prevent other colonies from resisting or protesting.

The Coercive Acts shut down Boston Harbor until the East India Tea Company was repaid for the destroyed tea. That meant that only food and firewood was allowed into the port. Not even hay for feeding the horses was allowed in. The Bostonians were forced to provide housing for the thousands of British soldiers sent in to enforce the new laws. So, the many British soldiers slept in barns, taverns, and other buildings, making them unusable for the locals. And there was nowhere to complain, since town meetings were also banned.

At first, the Coercive Acts seemed to be working. But then, something unexpected happened. The people throughout the colonies rallied to save Boston. Across many different towns, colonists sent livestock, food, and supplies to Boston. Official statements from Virginia wrote, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

The leaders of the colonies knew they had to come together to figure out the next step. Each colony sent representatives to a convention to decide what to do next. The meeting was known as the First Continental Congress, taking place September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia. Fifty-six delegates from twelve colonies attended the meetings, which continued for several weeks. Only Georgia abstained from the meetings.

By the middle of October, the congress decided to boycott almost all British goods until the Intolerable Acts were repealed. They drafted a statement, called the Declaration of Colonial Rights, and sent it by ship to King George. It called for freedom from British rule.

The congress planned to meet again on May 10, 1775. They wanted to allow enough time for King George to receive their demands and to respond. Some believed an arrangement could be found between Britain and the colonies. But others, like John Hancock, were not optimistic. By November 1774, Hancock proposed calling for twelve thousand men to be ready to fight at any minute. He called them minutemen. Patriots signed up, and started to stockpile gunpowder. Many other Patriots agreed they should be prepared for war.

Although nobody officially declared it, the war was in the air. By March 1775, Patrick Henry formally announced, “The war is actually begun! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty! Or give me death.”

 

December 18, 1773

Today, the Dove welcomes Father and Felicity back onboard to go home to Williamsburg. They’re hoping they can make it home in time for Christmas. As they leave Boston Harbor, Felicity imagines she can see the tea leaves floating in the water.

Felicity asks Father whether there’s any hope for peace between the Patriots and the Loyalists. She’s worried for Uncle George, Aunt Charlotte, and Charles’ safety if war does indeed begin. Father says it’s right for a person to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means Charles becoming a soldier in the war. And even if the person standing up is just a young girl who attends an unusual tea party, and the next morning, still has a tea leaf tangled in her hair.

Felicity is shocked. She thought they weren’t recognized. Father silences her. They’re all sworn to secrecy.

Father pulls Felicity close. There’s trouble ahead for all the colonies. It may be many years before their family is reunited, if war does come. And Father thinks it will.

 

The Shot Heard Round the World

Patrick Henry had been correct: the war had begun. British troops flooded Boston under strict orders from General Thomas Gage to find the leaders of the rebellion, including Samuel Adams and John Hancock. The soldiers searched the colonists’ homes for weapons and smuggled goods. By mid-April 1775, most of the leaders of Sons of Liberty managed to escape Boston.

Gage sent a battalion of soldiers to Lexington, a town twelve miles northwest of Boston, where Adams and Hancock were rumored to be hiding. Others were sent to Concord, where Patriots had stockpiled muskets, bullets, gunpowder, and other weapons. They wanted to show the Patriots who was in charge.

The Sons of Liberty had heard about Gage’s plans on April 18, and they sent Paul Revere along with other messengers to warn colonial minutemen about the planned British attack.

The messengers’ warnings helped the colonists prepare, but they were still vastly outnumbered by British soldiers. On April 19, 1775, seventy-five colonial fighters confronted several hundred British Redcoats in Lexington Green. At first, it seemed harmless enough. There were orders, grumbling, and the tensions settled. And then, a gunshot suddenly pierced the air, followed by more gunfire.

Eight Patriots lay dead, nine more wounded, and a British soldier injured. No one knows who fired the first bullet, but it became known as “the shot heard round the world.”

Later that morning, British soldiers marched on Concord. By that time, more Patriots had arrived, and there were now seven hundred British soldiers against thousands of colonists. As they retreated to Boston, the Patriots continued to shoot at them from behind trees, walls, and houses. The British were easy targets for men hidden from sight. All in all, 73 British soldiers were killed, and 174 wounded. By comparison, 49 colonists died, and only 39 were wounded.

On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which the colonies formally declared their independence from England. For the next eight and half years, the British and American militaries would take part in a horrific war. There were continued setbacks for the Patriots. Victory was never guaranteed, and nearly seven thousand Patriots would lose their lives. Even more died as prisoners of the British or from disease.

Although the British army and navy were larger and better trained, the colonists were more committed to the cause. The French and Spanish helped out, too. In the end, the colonists’ desire for self-rule proved stronger than the King’s desire for control. In 1781, the British army surrendered in Yorktown, but the British still occupied places like Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, South Carolina, and New York, New York.

When the Treaty of Paris of 1783 was signed, the thirteen colonies were no more. Instead, the thirteen colonies became a new country, the United States of America. In time, the U.S. would grow to fifty states, and its democratic spirit would be a model for many other nations around the world.

 

July 28, 1776 – in Williamsburg, Virginia

The war Father and Felicity predicted came faster and more furiously than they had imagined. The colonies have been at war for over a year now, and the shelves in Father’s store look very different. Since ships from England stopped arriving, they’ve learned to get by with less. They also learned to make many items that they used to import. Felicity is proud that Father’s store sells fabrics woven in America and tea made with local rose hip. Felicity even knits with wool she spins herself, just like the Daughters of Liberty.

Today, the declaration written by the First Continental Congress was read aloud on the steps of the courthouse. It declared their independence from British rule. They’d no longer have to be subjects of the King or pay taxes they didn’t agree to. Felicity felt shivers run down her spine when she heard the words:

  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Father says the war for independence will be long and hard, with lots of loss and sorrow. Felicity believes he is right. But she also knows it’ll be worth it in the end. After all, Felicity was a part of it all at the very beginning, standing up for her beliefs with the very first Patriots who stood up for freedom.

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