On December 16, 1773, the colonists of Boston threw 342 chests of English East India Company tea into Boston Harbor, an act we remember as the “Boston Tea Party.”

Have you ever wondered what drove the Bostonians to destroy the tea? Or whether they considered any other less destructive options for their protest?

Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger Professor of American History at Cornell University, takes us through the Tea Crisis of 1773.

About the Series

Episodes in the “Doing History: To the Revolution” series explore the American Revolution and how what we know about it and how our view of it has changed over time.

Episodes will air in 2017.

The “Doing History” series is part of a partnership between Ben Franklin’s World and the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. Be sure to check out season 1, “Doing History: How Historians Work.”

Show Notes: http://www.benfranklinsworld.com/048

Helpful Show Links

OI Reader Tablet app for extra "Doing History" articles and guides

Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page

Join the Ben Franklin's World Community

Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter

Ben Franklin's World iOS App

Ben Franklin's World Android App

Complementary Episodes

112 The Tea Crisis of 1773 (Doing History Revolution) 45:53 Share

Ben Franklin's World

Shownotes Transcript

112 The Tea Crisis of 1773 (Doing History Revolution)