One night in 1773, angry people threw a ship's tea into the sea — and started a revolution.
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These are the new words for the Boston Tea Party. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = C (a colony) · 2 = D (a tax) · 3 = G (a ship) · 4 = B (a harbour)
5 = E (a crowd) · 6 = H (a protest) · 7 = A (a crate) · 8 = F (to throw)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
A long time ago, Britain ruled thirteen colonies in North America. The people there lived far from Britain, but the King in London was still their king. For many years, the people were happy enough. But then Britain needed money, because it had fought a long and expensive war. So the government in London made the colonies pay new taxes.
The people in the colonies were very angry. They had no one to speak for them in the British government. No one asked them. They said one famous thing again and again: "No taxation without representation." This means: "You cannot make us pay taxes if we have no voice." To calm the people, Britain stopped most of the new taxes. But it kept one small tax — a tax on tea.
Why tea? Because almost everyone drank tea every day. In 1773, Britain made a new law to sell tea more cheaply in the colonies. Cheaper tea sounds good! But the people saw a trick. To buy the tea, they had to pay the tax. And to pay the tax was to say, "Yes, Britain can tax us." So they said no.
1. Why did Britain make the colonies pay new taxes?
2. Why did the people not want to buy the cheaper tea?
1. Britain needed money because it had fought a long, expensive war. So it made the colonies pay taxes.
2. To buy the tea, they had to pay the tax. If they paid the tax, they agreed that Britain could tax them. They did not want that.
In late 1773, three ships full of tea came to Boston Harbour. The people said, "Take the tea back to Britain!" But the governor of Boston said no. By law, the tea had to come off the ships, and the tax had to be paid. Nobody knew what to do. Thousands of people came to big meetings to talk about it.
On the cold night of 16 December 1773, a big meeting ended. Then a crowd walked down to the harbour. About one hundred men went too. They put dark paint on their faces and dressed like Mohawk people, so no one could know who they were. They climbed onto the three ships.
All night, the men worked. They pulled up the crates of tea, opened them, and threw the tea into the sea. But they were very careful. They broke only the tea. They did not hurt anyone. They did not steal anything. When they finished, they cleaned the ships and went home quietly. In the morning, a huge amount of tea — worth a lot of money — floated in the water of Boston Harbour.
1. What did the people want the ships to do, and what did the governor say?
2. Why did the men put paint on their faces and dress like Mohawk people?
1. The people wanted the ships to take the tea back to Britain. The governor said no — by law, the tea had to come off and the tax had to be paid.
2. To hide who they were, so no one could know their names later.
When Britain heard the news, it was very angry. To punish Boston, Britain made hard new laws. It closed the harbour of Boston. No ships could come in or go out until the people paid for the tea. Britain wanted to make Boston afraid, so that the other colonies would be afraid too, and obey.
But the opposite happened. The other colonies did not leave Boston alone. They helped Boston. In 1774, people from all the colonies met together in a city called Philadelphia, to make a plan. Now the thirteen colonies were becoming one. Soon there was fighting, and the argument about tea became a war — the American War of Independence.
People did not call it "the Boston Tea Party" until many years later. But everyone remembered the picture: ordinary people, in simple disguise, saying no to a great empire — over a ship full of tea. Today, Americans still talk about that night. A small protest about a tax on tea helped to make a new country.
1. How did Britain punish Boston?
2. What did the other colonies do, and what did the argument become in the end?
1. Britain made hard new laws and closed the harbour of Boston. No ships could come or go until the people paid for the tea.
2. The other colonies helped Boston. They met in Philadelphia to make a plan. In the end, the argument became a war — the American War of Independence.
This story is full of the word why. Why did the people say no? Why did they hide their faces? English has three easy ways to say why.
Read the sentence and choose the best word.
1. The men wore disguises hide their faces.
2. The people were angry the tax was unfair.
3. Britain closed the harbour, no ships could come in.
4. They threw the tea into the sea protest.
1. to (the aim: why they wore disguises)
2. because (the cause: why they were angry)
3. so (the result: what happened next)
4. to (the aim: why they threw the tea)
Put the verb in the correct form after to. Then read the sentence out loud.
1. They climbed onto the ships to (throw) the tea into the sea.
2. The colonies met in Philadelphia to (make) a plan.
3. Britain closed the harbour to (punish) Boston.
1. throw (to + base verb)
2. make (to + base verb)
3. punish (to + base verb)
Fill each gap with to, because or so. Read it aloud when you finish.
Britain needed money, it made new taxes. The people were angry they had no voice. One night, a crowd went to the ships throw the tea into the sea. They dressed in disguise no one could know who they were.
so (result) · because (cause) · to (aim) · so (result)
Use to for the aim, because for the cause, and so for the result.
There is a real podcast about the Boston Tea Party. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. Search "Short History Of The Boston Tea Party" on Spotify to open the episode.
Open the show on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Boston Tea Party in your own words. Use these steps to help you: Britain wants money and makes new taxes → the people are angry ("no taxation without representation") → the tea ships come to Boston → one night, the men throw the tea into the sea → Britain punishes Boston → the colonies join together and there is a war.
Try to say why with to, because and so, and use some of the key words (colony, tax, ship, harbour, crowd, protest, crate, throw).
The people threw a lot of tea into the sea. This tea was not theirs, and it cost a lot of money. Was this a good way to protest, or was it wrong? What do you think? Why?
Tell a story of your own — a time when you or someone you know said "no" to something unfair. Use to, because and so to say why.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: