Movement for Independence

The colonists lived under British rule. They often ignored British laws. This independent attitude would soon lead to a clash between the Americans and the British. Relations between the American Colonies and Great Britain began to break down during the mid-1700's. Friction mounted, and, on April 19, 1775, the American Revolution broke out between the Americans and the British.

The Boston Tea Party was one of the most effective pieces of political theater ever staged. About 50 members of the political organization, The Sons of Liberty, boarded 3 ships in Boston Harbor. In a very orderly and quiet fashion, they plunked [sterling] 9,659 worth of Darjeeling into the sea. The Boston Tea Party was a protest of British tax policies. It came in the midst of a boycott of English tea during which the East India Company, which owned the tea, had seen its profits plummet in the wake of a boycott of tea in the colonies.