american revolution, boston tea party
posted in history
old south meeting house
from american revolution, boston tea party posted in history by pete_nice
Built by Puritans in 1729, the Old South Meeting House has had a number of brushes with history. Benjamin Franklin was baptized here. Phillis Wheatley, the first published black poet in the United States, was a member, as were patriots James Otis, Thomas Cushing, and William Dawes.
On December 16, 1773, five thousand colonists piled into the Old South Meeting House to voice their frustration over British taxation. After the gathering, the Boston Tea Party occurred at nearby Griffin's Wharf.
In the 19th century, the Old South was one of the first buildings in the United States to be preserved as a historic site; leading proponents of its protection included the philanthropist Mary Hemenway, abolitionist Wendell Phillips, and the writers Julia Ward Howe and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Today, the Old South is a museum open to the public and part of the Boston Freedom Trail.
boston tea party site
from american revolution, boston tea party posted in history by pete_nice
On December 16, 1773, a large gathering of colonists had a heated exchange at the Old South Meeting House in Boston. The subject was what to do with the three British ships (the Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver) that were loaded down with tea and moored at Griffin’s Wharf.
Samuel Adams said the phrase, "Gentlemen, this meeting can do nothing more to save the country." Later, this was interpreted as a signal (still under debate) for a group of 30 to 130 men, some dressed in Mohawk warrior disguises, to board the ships three dump all 342 chests of tea into the water. The Boston Tea Party (as it was renamed in 1834) was over in three hours.
The exact location of Griffin's Wharf has been disputed over the subsequent years. A plaque is located at this address and affixed to the Independence Wharf building to commemorate the occasion. However, this blogger makes a pretty convincing argument for the 500 Atlantic Ave location (the Intercontinental Boston building).