The Flame is Kindled: The Boston Tea Party

by guest blogger Megan Soja

On the fifth of December, 1773, Abigail Adams wrote to her friend Mercy Otis Warren regarding the recent arrival of tea ships in Boston. She described the response of the town, saying, “The flame is kindled and like lightning it catches from soul to soul.”

Only eleven days later, that tea would be thrown into the harbor in an act of defiance that we know today as the Boston Tea Party.

This December marks 251 years since that historic event which serves as the backdrop for my debut novel, Spark of the Revolution. It’s a story we’re all familiar with…rebels, dressed like Mohawks, descending upon the harbor in a rowdy mob to fight against an oppressive tax…or so I thought.

The tea tax itself was not overly oppressive, but it was seen as a tangible reminder that England could enforce laws which the citizens of Massachusetts had no say in. Thus, the famous words – "no taxation without representation."

There were three ships involved, carrying a total of 340 chests of tea. The colonists held multiple meetings in an attempt to gain permission to send the tea back to England. All efforts to do so were rebuffed.

On the evening of December 16th, when the last request to secure passage back to England had been denied, they turned instead to a secret plan developed by the Sons of Liberty – destruction of the tea.

Historians suspect that over 100 men participated, though they held their secret close for many years after. And while some disguised themselves to look like Mohawks, many others came as they were or used simple methods, like blackening their faces with soot, to hide their identities.

It was not a chaotic mob but a methodical approach. The men worked in an organized and quiet manner, securing pulley systems to hoist the heavy crates before breaking them open and dumping the tea overboard. The entire effort took less than three hours, and when finished, they swept the decks clean. Nothing else was damaged, save for a single padlock which they replaced the following day. No harm came to any of the crew, nor were the participants met with resistance by British troops.

What stood out to me most as I learned more about this event were the accounts passed down from participants through the years. We all recognize names like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, but it was the stories of everyday people that really caught my attention. Ordinary men who stepped up to do something extraordinary, hardly guessing what their actions would mean for the future of this country. Their protest that night lit the spark of the American Revolution. The flame was kindled, and it would not be put out.

The Boston Tea Party Museum features a wonderful collection of information on participants if you’d like to explore their stories further. The photos included here are from my trip to the museum where they also have two replica ships.

Spark of the Revolution: Patience Abbott leaves behind painful memories of England for a fresh start in America. But as tension grows in Boston, so does the distance between Patience and her estranged Loyalist father. When Josiah Wagner walks into her life, finally, she’s not alone.

Josiah Wagner forges tools by day as a blacksmith, and each night, forges plans with the Sons of Liberty. But when the destruction of tea in Boston Harbor lights the spark of the Revolution, Josiah finds himself drawn into its wake, pulling the woman he loves with him.

Megan Soja is a multi-award-winning author who writes stories with strong faith, rich history, and sweet romance. She lives in western NY with her husband and two daughters and loves having adventures with her family. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, and playing French Horn.