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The Boston Tea Party Terrorism

In: Historical Events

Submitted By sugg
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Everyone is taught to assume the Boston Tea Party was just an act of patriotism, but it was in fact terrorism. It was terrorism for three reasons. The property sabotage or hijacking was intended to bring to attention the American colonists and they had weapons with them. Although many others would be on the fence, we have evidence as to how it indeed was an act of terrorism. The Boston Tea Party has its roots in the Tea Act of 1773. The Boston Tea Party was served as a protest against taxation. On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw crates of tea overboard. No one was reported injured in the attack, but valuable merchandise was destroyed; therefore, it was an act of terrorism.
The colonists hijacked the boats with intentions to bring to attention the problems that they were facing in the new world. They destroyed valuable merchandise by stealing tea and dumping it into the Boston harbor. The colonists dressed in disguises and dumped 342 crates of tea into the Boston harbor. They did this because they were protesting taxation against the the British. Hijacking is thought to be an act of terrorism, but that is not all that the colonists did to let the Boston Tea party be considered an act of terrorism. Along with hijacking the boats, the colonists had weapons on them. The colonists not only stole ruined valuable merchandise and vandalized the boats on the Boston harbor, but they also had weapons on them. Having weapons on them technically makes the Boston Tea Party an armed terrorist attack. They did not pay for the tea, they had stolen it. They had somewhat good intentions, but it does not mean that what they had done was not a crime. Now that we are aware the colonies hijacked the boats and it was an armed terrorist attack, we know that the Boston Tea Party was indeed an act of terrorism even though no one was reported injured in the attack. The next time someone asks you about the Boston Tea Party, you can share how it is considered to be terrorism.

WORK CITED: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/boston-tea-party-facts

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