Blog from a Brother - Post 3
/“Blog from a Brother” is a space for brethren of Lodge No. 2 to articulate what Freemasonry means to them, their families and their communities. This blog is meant to serve as a sounding board for the lessons inculcated by the fraternity and how it impacts our daily lives, by allowing members to contemplate, philosophize and advocate their experience in the fraternity. If you’d like to contribute to our blog, feel free to reach out to our Webmaster here.
THE COMPLETE STORY OF THE BOSTON TEA PARTY:
or If You Like To Have Coffee Thank The Freemasons.
Part 1
On the night of December 16, 1773 in Boston, Massachusetts men calling themselves "Mohawks" boarded three ships docked in Boston harbor and threw their cargo of tea overboard into the water.
It all started with the French and Indian War (1756 - 1763). The French were starting to inhabit the Ohio Valley, which is west of the 13 colonies. The British believed this threatened the colonies and wanted the French out of North America. French colonists were supported by Wabanaki Confederacy member tribes (Abenaki and Mi'kmaq), and the Algonquin, Lenape, Ojibwa, Ottawa, Shawnee, and Wyandot tribes. The British were successful and kicked out the French and decimated the Indian tribes.The British had won the war but incurred an enormous debt.
The British crown had borrowed heavily from British and Dutch bankers to bankroll the war, doubling British national debt. King George III argued that since the French and Indian War benefited the colonists by securing their borders, they should contribute to paying down the war debt.
To obtain this contribution the British Parliament enacted the Stamp Act which taxed every legal sheet of paper used in the colonies, the tax ranged from 3 pence a sheet to 4 pounds depending on the document, and the Townshend Acts which taxed imported goods from England that the colonists could not make or grow, such as, china, glass, lead, paint, paper, sugar and tea.
The colonists objected to these taxes by boycotting the goods from England and started producing their own goods. This forced the British to repeal the Stamp Act and most of the Townshend Acts, leaving the Sugar Act and Tea Act intact.
In Part 2 we will see how the Green Dragon Tavern got its name and who was mainly responsible for the tea party—the Freemasons or the Sons of Liberty.To be continued…