The Boston Tea Party Ignites the Revolutionary War
In The Boston Tea Party Ignites the Revolutionary War, host Andrew Marr describes how Samuel Adams and fellow colonists rebelled against British rule by destroying a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor. This act of defiance would ignite the Revolutionary War and set the stage for the birth of a new nation governed by revolutionary ideals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s A History of the World, a story of human history that uses reenactments, modern footage, and storytelling to explain history’s greatest achievements.
Lesson Express
Q: How did the British government’s taxation policies contribute to unrest in the American colonies?
A: The tax on tea imposed financial burdens without giving colonists a voice in decision-making.
Q: How did the Boston Tea Party contribute to the onset of the Revolutionary War?
A: It was an act of rebellion that allowed the Sons of Liberty to make their point and rallied colonists in other colonies to rebel as well.
Q: What does the phrase “taxation without representation” mean to you?
A: Student responses will vary.
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