One of the most famous tea parties is celebrating 250 years this month. It was on Dec. 16, 1773 that the Sons of Liberty destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company to protest the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. The act granted the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in American colonies. The event led to the American Revolution.
Although the anniversary is this month, the celebrating began a year ago with museums, schools and historical organizations, as well as the arts, tourism and hospitality industries organizing events across Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The year-long celebration will culminate in a grand scale reenactment of the Boston Tea Party. But it won’t just be the dumping of the tea, it will include the actions prior to that fateful day and play out in four parts across the city at several historic locations.
Act I will take place at Faneuil Hall with a 90-minute presentation exploring the events that led to the protest. Act II will be a reenactment of the Meeting of the Body of the People at Old South Meeting House where more than 5,000 people gathered to denounce Parliament’s unfair practices. Act III will feature fife and drum corps, the attendees and public march from Old South Meeting House to the Harborwalk where Griffin’s Wharf once stood. And of course, Act IV will culminate in the dumping of the tea.
Visit december16.org