Cartoon depicting Lord North, with the Boston Port Bill extending from a pocket, forcing tea (representing the Intolerable Acts) down the throat of a female (figure representing the American colonies).
*Disclaimer: I’ve had a cold the last week and was so excited to see that February 9th landed on a Sunday (it doesn’t) because there’s colonial history to talk about. I can finally sneak in a sentence about the Boston Tea Party! When I was all done writing this, sipping my green tea and honey Theraflu, I realized Sunday is the 10th. What’s a girl to do? Roll with it and pretend today is the 9th and hope people join you in the story.*
On this day in history, February 9, 1775, the British Parliament reported to King George III the colony of Massachusetts was in a state of rebellion, but the colony had been resisting British rule for years.
Let me provide some context.
For most of the colonies existence, British rule was pretty nonexistent. The colonies ruled themselves, protected themselves with militias, created currency and traded their goods. Due to this “salutary neglect,” the colonies had a sense of autonomy.
From 1754-63 the colonies had been involved in the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War. It was a war fought between France and Great Britain (who are never friends) over colonial territory surrounding the Ohio River and trading. Basically, it was about money and territory, like most wars.
During this war, England is “defending” it’s colonies and own interests while colonists are defending their homes and livelihood. To the colonists, this is a joint effort that they have put their own money, equipment and lives into seeing a successful resolution.
War isn’t cheap and the English treasury is feeling it so they have to impose taxes on everyone, which makes no one happy. In addition, British Parliament is wanting to rein in the colonies and bring them under control with a series of acts that took place from 1764 to 1767.
Now you have all these hard lined rules in place where there was none before. They can’t create their own currency as they had previously, there’s tightening on smuggling sugar and molasses, every paper document (including cards) is taxed and so on. Life for the colonists has completely changed.
People are angry.
Even after all of this, let me be clear. The majority of the colonists wanted to reconcile with Great Britain. They didn’t want a revolution or independence. They wanted things to go back to the “salutary neglect” that worked for everyone. The same was true for Great Britain. They didn’t want yet another costly war; they wanted the colonists to go back to being dutiful subjects of the crown.
You can’t always get what you want.
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