Pesta Teh Boston / Boston Tea Party

Oleh

Puspita, Ke Xin, Rajakumari, Xiao Hui, Pei Xin

SINOPSIS

Pesta Teh Boston berlaku pada 16 Disember 1773; menyebabkan kehancuran besar-besaran teh di mana 342 peti yang mengandungi teh telah dibuang ke dalam pelabuhan Boston. Ia bermula dengan pemberontakan politik oleh Kolonis Amerika di Boston Wharf, Massachusetts, yang marah dan kecewa terhadap Britain kerana mengenakan “cukai tanpa perwakilan” serta kuasa monopoli oleh Syarikat British Hindia Timur. Dalam tempoh itu, parlimen telah meluluskan Akta Teh yang direka untuk membantu Syarikat British Hindia Timur yang bermasalah dengan memberi monopoli ke atas semua teh yang dieksport kepada tanah jajahan, serta pengecualian cukai eksport dan bayaran balik ke atas lebihan tertentu kuantiti teh. Dengan ini, kesan Pesta Teh Boston dapat dilihat apabila The Sons of Liberty betindak dengan menakutkan kapal-kapal British, dimana mereka mengancam kapten kapal tersebut dengan taring dan ada yang lebih buruk lagi. Mereka juga membuang teh British yang bernilai lebih daripada $700 000 dalam mata wang hari ini ke dalam Boston Harbor pada waktu malam, iaitu pada 16 Disember. Akibat daripada kejadian tersebut, pelabuhan Boston diperintahkan untuk ditutup oleh Parlimen mengikut Akta Pelabuhan Boston dan penduduk di bandar itu diminta untuk membayar hampir $ 1 juta wang pampasan untuk nilai teh yang dibuang ke dalam pelabuhan Boston semasa kejadian itu. Pesta Teh Boston akhirnya membawa kepada permulaan Revolusi Amerika.

The Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773; leading to a massive destruction of tea where 342 chests of tea were dumped into Boston Harbor. It began with a political protest by the American Colonist at Boston Wharf’s, Massachusetts, who were angry and frustrated against Britain for imposing “taxation without implementation” as well as the perceived monopoly by the East India Company. During this period, the Parliament had passed a Tea Act designed to help and assist the financially troubled East India Company by granting it a monopoly on all tea exported to the colonies, and exemption on the export tax and a refund on duties owned on certain surplus quantities of tea in its processions. The effect of the Boston Tea Party can be seen when the Sons of Liberty took matters in their hands by scaring off British tea carrying ships by threatening their captains with tarring, feathering or worse. They even dump the British tea that was worth more than $700 000 in today’s currency into Boston Harbor on the night of December 16. Due to this incident, Boston Harbor was ordered to be closed by the Parliament in accordance to the Boston Port Act and the city’s resident was demanded to pay nearly $1 million worth of tea dumped into Boston Harbor during the incident. The Boston Tea Party eventually led to the beginning of the American Revolutionary.