December 16th marks the 251st anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Just over two weeks prior to the now famous event, a two-day meeting occurred where residents of Boston and nearby towns met to discuss what to do with a shipment of tea from England that was sitting in Boston Harbor. At the conclusion of those meetings, a broadside was issued with an account of what was discussed and decided. We hold one of those broadsides in our collection, and in honor of the Tea Party’s anniversary, we’re sharing it this month in our Collection Spotlight case.
A shipment of tea from England arrived in Boston Harbor on November 28, 1773 and on November 29 and 30, citizens of Boston and nearby towns gathered at Faneuil Hall to determine the "proper and effectual method to prevent the unloading, receiving, or vending the detestable TEA sent out by the East India Company." When the gathered group became too large, the meeting was moved to Old South Meeting House. For those who could not attend, an account of that meeting was published as a broadside the next day, December 1, 1773. Throughout the written account, the ship holding the tea is referred to as “Captain Hall’s ship,” but this ship is better known by its name, the
Dartmouth, which was under the command of Captain James Hall and was one of three ships that brought tea to Boston Harbor, the other two being the
Beaver and the
Eleanor. In a
previous blog post, one of our reference librarians wrote about the significant tax-related events that occurred in the years and months leading up to the Tea Party, along with the actions that followed in the immediate aftermath of this two-day public meeting.
The linked blog post puts this broadside in historical context, and is an informational complement to the displayed broadside. We encourage you to read through that post, and then click on the image above or download the broadside from our
digital repository to read it in its entirety. There are some key individuals and events to note in the broadside, as highlighted below. In addition to the aforementioned Captain Hall of the
Dartmouth, others are:
The Body: the term used to describe the group assembled.
Jonathan Williams, Esquire: named as moderator to help facilitate the meeting.
Francis Rotch: A whaler from New Bedford and part owner of the Dartmouth.
Captain Edward Proctor and Ezekiel Cheever: the Body passed a motion to establish a security night watch over the Dartmouth to prevent it from being unloaded. Capt. Proctor and Cheever were named as Captains of the Watch. The watch consisted of a group of 25 volunteers, who were instructed to raise alarms if anything happened to them or the ships during their watch.
Mr. Copley: better known by his full name, John Singleton Copley. Copley was a painter who leaned politically neutral; he was friendly with patriots Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams, but his family had Loyalist ties and his father-in-law,
Richard Clarke, was one of the consignees of the tea in this shipment in question. Clarke's company, Richard Clarke & Sons, included his sons Jonathan and Isaac. Other tea consignees included Thomas Hutchinson Jr., Benjamin Faneuil, and Joshua Winslow. Because of his relationship with the Clarkes, Copley served as a go-between the two parties during the course of the meeting. In fact, one of the proposals he brought to the assembly was in regard to the consignees' safety:
“A proposal of Mr. Copley was made, that in case he could prevail with the Mess. Clarkes to come into this meeting, the question might now be put, whether they should be treated with civility while in the meeting, though they might be of different sentiments with this body; and their persons be safe until their return to the place from whence they should come – and the question being accordingly put, passed in the affirmative.”
Despite Copley sharing this information with the consignees, ensuring their safety, they declined to attend the meeting. They stated that they believed
“nothing would be satisfactory (to the Body) short of re-shipping the tea, which was out of their power, they thought it best not to appear, but would renew their proposal of storing the tea, and submitting the same to the inspection of a committee, and that they could go no further, without incurring their own ruin but as they had not been active in introducing the tea they should do nothing to obstruct the people in their procedure with the same.”
Though the Clarkes did not attend the meeting, Dartmouth’s Captain Hall and owner Francis Rotch did attend when requested, along with the captains and owners of the other ships expected to arrive with tea: for the Eleanor, Captain James Bruce and John Rowe, and for the Beaver, Captain Hezekiah Coffin (like the Dartmouth, the Beaver was owned by the Rotch family). The meeting concluded
with the following resolution, and the vote was then printed and sent to seaports within the colonies and to England:
“if any person or persons shall hereafter import
tea from Great-Britain, or if any master or masters of any vessel or vessels in
Great-Britain shall take the same on board to be imported to this place, until
the said unrighteous Act shall be repeal’d, he or they shall be deem’d by this Body
an Enemy to his Country, and we will prevent the landing and sale of the same,
and the payment of any duty thereof. And we will effect the return thereof to
the place from whence it shall come.”
The account of this two-day long meeting reflects the intensity of the situation, as well as the complicated nature of trying to figure out what to do with this detestable tea when there were multiple parties deadlocked on how to proceed - the Royal Governor and consignees, the ship owners and captains, and the colonists! Though we know that the story ends with the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor, the displayed broadside is an important primary source account of the sentiment and actions that lead to that event. Take advantage of the opportunity to see it in person by visiting our reading room from December 3 through January 7. Huzzah!
Elizabeth Roscio
Preservation Librarian
.png)
.jpg)
