I was thinking about the Boston Tea Party and about tea, in general. My English friend in the picture enjoys a "spot of tea" every afternoon. I don't drink it every day, but here's a picture of a brand and flavor I like - Celestial Seasonings Perfectly Pear White Tea:
So, I was thinking about having my picture on a box of tea with a flavor that represents me. I don't know if one of these pictures would be suitable or a more animated one? I'm a very laid-back cat.
While that's simmering, let's talk about the Boston Tea Party, which took place on the evening of December 16, 1773. Frustrated and angry protestors (estimated 5,000-7,000) gathered at Boston Harbor, upset about the Tea Act which was imposed about seven months earlier in May. This allowed the East India Company (which had 18 million pounds of unsold tea)to sell their tea directly to the colonies without paying the tea tax. This almost guaranteed that American-based companies would go out of business! Meanwhile, the East India Company shipped about 500,000 pounds of tea across the Atlantic to Boston, New York, Charleston, and Philadelphia. On November 28, the first ship arrived in Boston Harbor, with the others to follow. The king expected the colonists to unload the ships and pay the taxes within 28 days!
When it was announced that night that Governor Hutchinson refused to accept the shipment, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty (disguised as Mohawk Indians) boarded the British ships (the Eleanor, the Dartmouth, and the Beaver) and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor. It took nearly three hours to empty the 342 chests which held more than 90,000 pounds (45 tons) of tea. This would be worth one million dollars today!
Well, you can just imagine how mad the British were over this, so they passed several acts to punish Massachussetts, and especially Boston. I guess you could say it just "wasn't their cup of tea." The first Act was the Boston Port Bill, which closed Boston to ocean traffic until the tea that was destroyed was paid for. It was "time out" for Boston!
That got me in the mood to hear the nursery rhyme,"I'm a Little Teapot"
Since you're in the mood now, grab a cup of tea, get cozy, and let's watch Tom and Jerry together in Yankee Doodle Mouse:
