The Destruction of the Tea, 250 Years On

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of men boarded three ships in Boston harbour and dumped their cargo of East India Company tea overboard. It was a dramatic act of defiance towards the royal government in Massachusetts and ministers in London who had levied a duty on the tea. Within eighteen months, the revolt against taxes imposed by a distant and unresponsive government had spiralled into armed rebellion. What is the long-term legacy for American political culture of this mass destruction of private property? Joining Adam to discuss the events originally known as 'the destruction of the tea' and later re-named the 'Tea Party', are acclaimed historian Benjamin Carp and Pulitzer Prize winner Stacy Schiff.

Download this episode here.