The Boston Tea Party Explained
American History Hit
History Hit
4.3 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 10 December 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On December 16th 1773, Bostonian colonists took a stand against the British Crown in the Boston Tea Party.
In this episode, we dive deep into the events of that evening in Boston Harbor. Don is joined by Benjamin Carp, the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College. Who was involved? What signalled the start of the event? And was it really a non-violent protest?
Benjamin is the author of ‘Rebels Rising: Cities and the American Revolution’; ‘Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America’; and ‘The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution’
Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.
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Transcript
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| 0:19.0 | On a frigid December night, a man rushes through the dark alleys and passageways of Boston, Massachusetts. The harbor behind him, his way is lit only by the moon and the occasional glow from hearth fires and candlelight in people's homes. |
| 0:27.0 | His heart beats hard in his chest, adrenaline courses through his blood. |
| 0:33.0 | His body aches from the night's labors, his fingers and toes numbed from the cold. |
| 0:38.0 | At home, finally, the man slips inside and lights a candle. Briefly examining in a broken |
| 0:47.1 | looking glass his sootid face streaked with ochre paint, the feathered headdress upon |
| 0:52.3 | his crown. He rips it off and washes himself clean. |
| 0:56.1 | No evidence can remain. In years to come, this act of public protest in the harbor will be deemed heroic, a courageous demonstration of colonial patriotism. |
| 1:09.0 | But for tonight, the Boston Tea Party, as it will one day be known, is a flagrant destruction of private property |
| 1:16.6 | and a serious act of treason against the British government. And The Hello and welcome back to American History Hit. I'm your host Don Wildman and in this |
| 1:49.5 | episode we're getting back to basics. One of the legendary events of colonial American history, |
| 1:55.0 | something we learned about in elementary school, |
| 1:58.0 | the Boston Tea Party, still misunderstood by many. |
| 2:02.0 | What happened? Who was there? How was it possible? misunderstood by many. |
| 2:02.6 | What happened? |
| 2:03.6 | Who was there? |
| 2:04.6 | How was it planned? |
| 2:06.1 | Today in the company of Professor Benjamin Karp of Brooklyn College, |
| 2:10.3 | we're about to find out. The Old South Meeting House, a brick structure on the corner of Main and Milk Streets, is |
| 2:26.5 | appointed with white trim and a tall elegant steeple. |
| 2:31.6 | It's December 16th, 1773. |
| 2:35.0 | And despite the chilly temperatures outside, folks have been gathering in the thousands since around |
| 2:40.0 | 4 p.m. |
... |
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