1. Understanding the Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party Currier coloured by Nathaniel Currier, Public Domain

Activity

In this activity you will work individually and in small groups to learn all about the Boston Tea Party. You will begin to understand what actually occurred before, during and after this event as well as exploring the different historical perspectives of the different groups and individuals involved in the Boston tea party.

Part 1:

You will watch this video here and read through this document here which explains what the Boston Tea Party was and what occurred during it. This will help you understand the event and set you up to complete the rest of the parts of this activity as well.

Part 2:

Based on the knowledge that you gained in Part 1 you will construct a table which shows the key events of the Boston Tea Party in the correct order. This task will allow you to apply what you have learnt in Part 1 and further consolidate your knowledge on the event.

Here is an example showing some of the key events.

Part 3:

In small groups you will research the different perspectives of the Boston Tea Party and the reactions to the event occurring. This will help you learn about the diverse historical voices, perspectives and narratives surrounding the event. Use these guiding questions to assist you with your research.

Compulsory questions:

• What was the perspective of the American settlers?
• What was the view of the British Empire?

Also pick one of the following questions:

• What was the view of the tea companies?
• What was the view of the ship owners and/or ship captains?
• What was the view of the British troops?

2.  Digging deeper into the Boston Tea Party

“Boston tea-party.” Three cargos of tea destroyed. Dec. 16, 1773, Library of Congress, Public Domain

Activity

In this activity you will annotate two sources from the Boston Tea Party and get the necessary and relevant information out of the two sources. You will then use these sources to help provide evidence for the short answer question.

Part 1:

Annotate the two sources and get the relevant information out from them. Use the knowledge which you gained from activity one to help you with this task. The work you do in this part of the task when you analyse the sources will be extremely useful for you in part two.

Source 1:

Boston Tea Party by Cornischong via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Source 2:

The able doctor, or, America swallowing the bitter draught by British Cartoon Prints Collection via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Part 2:

In this part of the activity, you will create your own response the question below, making sure that you reference the annotated sources in part 1 as evidence in your response to this question.

What happened during the Boston Tea Party and what were the consequences?