Boston Tea Party India
Did you know that the genesis of the American Revolution and the subsequent formation of the United States is in some ways connected to India? Here is how.
The British East India Company was formed at the start of the 16th century by a charter from the Queen Elizabeth-I, granting the Company the privilege of setting up factories in India, and granting a monopoly on exporting goods and commodities from India to British colonies all over the world. At that time India was among the most prosperous countries in the known world and was often referred to as the “Bird of Gold” by traders.
Over the next few decades, the East India Company grew to become the largest trans-national corporation then in existence. Some of its exports from India to the United States include tea. In 1773, the East India Company had accumulated a high quantity of excess tea.
In 1773, the British Parliament initiated the infamous Tea Act, changing taxes on tea exported by the East India Company to the colonies, and in particular the Thirteen American Colonies. To help the company’s failing fortunes, the British Parliament approved the Tea Act in May of that year based on which a tax would be levied on tea when consignments enter colonial ports including Charleston, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston in the US. This tax on tea outraged residents in America.
In November 1773, the SS Dartmouth arrived at Boston harbor carrying more than 100 tea chests. In December, the Beaver and the Eleanor also came to Boston with more tea. American residents arranged a meeting and decided they will boycott the British tea. Protestors invaded the ships and dumped more than 300 tea chests into the sea. The British Government responded harshly by sending troops to regain control of the colonies. People in the American colonies saw it as another example of Britain’s taxation tyranny.
This event came to be called the Boston Tea Party and inspired revolutionaries in other cities in America. As is widely acknowledged, the Boston Tea Party agitation set the stage for the American Revolution in 1765 and the subsequent declaration of independence by the Congress from the British Empire in 1776. One might say that the American Revolution came to fruition due to a sequence of events that started in India.
