"Debunking Boston Tea Party Myths" Topic

"We all know and celebrate the climax to the Boston Tea Party. On December 16, 1773, several dozen men dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded three ships belonging to the East India Company, cut open 340 chests of tea and dumped the contents in Boston's harbor. We fondly remember the carnival-like drama as a catalyst for the American Revolution, and over the years both liberal and conservative protesters have laid claim to its irreverent legacy.

Revolutionary-era Americans, though, didn't celebrate the event. This might seem strange, since the patriots were the celebrating sort. They staged festive ceremonies to commemorate anniversaries—the first Stamp Act protest, the act's repeal, the Boston Massacre, the Declaration of Independence—but the "action against tea" or the "destruction of the tea" (as they variously called it) went unher­alded in public ritual. For a half century, Americans shunned the tale, and certainly did not call it a tea party. At first, they didn't dare. Anyone who had anything to do with the event could face prosecution, or at least a lawsuit. Privately, some people knew who was behind those Indian disguises, but publicly, nobody said a word. Moreover, many patriots viewed the destruction of tea as an act of vandalism that put the Revolution in a bad light. Patriots also downplayed the tea action because of its devastating impact. That single act precipitated harsh retaliation from the British, which in turn led to a long and ugly war…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Apparently all American History is a myth.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Sometimes less is more

"Apparently all American History is a myth."

Much of popular history, with narrative trophes laid down in the 19th century, does tend to be.

Interesting how the most responsible press still uses the term 'story.'