Yorktown's Tea Party

On November 7, 1774, concerned citizens of York County openly boarded a ship in the harbor and dumped two small chests of tea into the York River after it had been imported despite a boycott. Like other protests against the Tea Act, this action opposed British attempts to tax Americans without allowing them representation in Parliament. Although the Boston Tea Party of December 1773 became the most famous and the most extreme of many such protests, this York County action showed local residents and patriot leaders supporting the Revolutionary cause and refusing to import tea. The local merchant who had ordered the small shipment quickly apologized in the newspaper and asked local citizens for forgiveness.

Yorktown, Virginia · United States