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Charleston Tea Party, December 3, 1773
"No taxation without representation” became a rallying cry for colonists in the mid-18th century. Prior to the American Revolution, the British government imposed a series of taxes on goods, including tea, that were imported to the colonies. Many American colonists felt these taxes were unfair and sought ways to openly resist the British government’s control. On Dec. 1st, 1773, a vessel containing a shipment of over 250 chests of tea arrived in Charleston Harbor. By Dec. 3rd, Charlestonians agreed not to pay the duty on the tea and the boat, sat unclaimed in the harbor. After 20 days, the tea was seized and brought ashore where it was stored in the Exchange Building. Though less dramatic and violent than the Boston Tea Party, the Charleston Tea Party gave momentum to revolutionary sentiment that was brewing in South Carolina and played a crucial role on the road to revolution.
Image published by G.P. Putnam, New York, circa 1850.