Teen of the Revolution

As 15-year-old Joshua Wyeth rushed through the bustling streets of Boston, hushed whispers seemed to follow him at every turn. It was a frosty December day in 1773. A plan was brewing to launch a daring attack on three ships anchored in the city’s harbor. Joshua had to decide: Would he risk arrest to take part?

Joshua Wyeth, 15, rushed through the busy streets of Boston. Hushed whispers seemed to follow him at every turn. It was a frosty December day in 1773. A plan was brewing to launch a daring attack on three ships anchored in the city’s harbor. Joshua had to decide: Would he risk arrest to take part?

Joshua lived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of the 13 Colonies in North America ruled by Great Britain. Over the years, the relationship between the Colonies and Britain had grown increasingly tense. It was like a pot of water getting hotter and hotter. Now the Colonies’ anger was ready to boil over.

A secret message was being passed around the blacksmith shop where Joshua worked. (Blacksmiths make objects out of iron.) The message said that the tea sitting on ships in Boston Harbor had to be destroyed. 

If the wrong person discovered the message, they could all be arrested—or worse. 

Joshua lived in Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was one of the 13 Colonies in North America ruled by Great Britain. Over the years, the relationship between the Colonies and Britain had grown increasingly tense. It was like a pot of water getting hotter and hotter. Now the Colonies’ anger was ready to boil over.

A secret message was being passed around the blacksmith shop where Joshua worked. (Blacksmiths make objects out of iron.) The message said that the tea sitting on ships in Boston Harbor had to be destroyed.

If the wrong person discovered the message, they could all be arrested—or worse.

At last, night fell. About 100 men made their way through Boston’s streets to Griffin’s Wharf, where the ships were docked. Teenage apprentices, including Joshua, filed in among them. 

“We had smeared our faces with grease, and soot, or lampblack” as a disguise, Joshua later recalled. Many of the men also wore blankets or shawls, as they imagined Native Americans might. They were dressed for battle.

At last, night fell. About 100 men made their way through Boston’s streets to Griffin’s Wharf. That is where the ships were docked. Joshua and other teenage apprentices filed in among them.

“We had smeared our faces with grease, and soot, or lampblack” as a disguise, Joshua later recalled. Many of the men also wore blankets or shawls, as they imagined Native Americans might. They were dressed for battle.

The harbor was guarded by powerful British warships. Would the ships fire on the men? Would soldiers come and throw them in jail?

Despite the risks, the men went ahead. Under the cloak of darkness, they dumped some 90,000 pounds of tea into the dark water. History would remember their bold action as the Boston Tea Party. And it would help spark a chain of events that would change the world.

The harbor was guarded by powerful British warships. Would the ships fire on the men? Would soldiers come and throw them in jail?

Despite the risks, the men went ahead. Under the cloak of darkness, they dumped some 90,000 pounds of tea into the dark water. History would remember their bold action as the Boston Tea Party. And it would help spark a chain of events that would change the world.

The Colonies and Britain were separated by about 3,000 miles of ocean. So for nearly two centuries, Britain had let the Colonies mostly run things on their own. Although Parliament, Britain’s lawmaking body, had appointed leaders to oversee them, each Colony had its own government, laws, and taxes. 

The situation changed after the French and Indian War (1754-1763), when Britain and France fought for control of North America. Britain won but ended up deeply in debt—owing what today would be trillions of dollars. Parliament tried to raise money by taxing the colonists on goods they imported, or purchased from other countries. By 1767, those fees had raised the price of many essential items—including tea.

The Colonies and Britain were separated by about 3,000 miles of ocean. So for nearly two centuries, Britain had let the Colonies mostly run things on their own. Parliament was Britain’s lawmaking body. It had appointed leaders to oversee the Colonies. But each Colony had its own government, laws, and taxes.

The situation changed after the French and Indian War (1754-1763). In that conflict, Britain and France fought for control of North America. Britain won but ended up deeply in debt. It owed what today would be trillions of dollars. Parliament tried to raise money by taxing the colonists on goods they imported, or bought from other countries. By 1767, those fees had raised the price of many important items. That included tea.

Each new tax triggered anger over what many colonists called “taxation without representation.” Parliament was forcing taxes on them without giving them any say in the decision. Groups of colonists responded by boycotting, or refusing to buy, British goods. 

One boycott hit Britain especially hard: the one on tea imported by the British East India Company. Most colonists switched to drinking tea smuggled in from Dutch and other traders. 

Partly because of this, the East India Company was stuck with warehouses full of tea going bad, and was about to go broke. Then, in May 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. It got rid of a tax that the East India Company had to pay to the British government. This let the company sell its tea cheaper than the smuggled stuff. British officials believed that the move would convince colonists to start buying it again. 

“Parliament was determined to make people import this tea,” says Peter Drummey of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Many colonists burned with anger at Parliament’s control. But a Boston leader named Samuel Adams seized the opportunity. Since the Colonies’ creation, they had largely operated independently from each other. Adams believed that outrage over the Tea Act could convince them to unite against Britain once and for all.

Each new tax triggered anger over what many colonists called “taxation without representation.” Parliament was forcing taxes on them without giving them any say in the decision. Groups of colonists responded by boycotting, or refusing to buy, British goods.

One boycott hit Britain especially hard: the one on tea imported by the British East India Company. Most colonists switched to drinking tea smuggled in from Dutch and other traders.

Partly because of this, the East India Company was stuck with warehouses full of tea going bad. It was about to go broke. Then, in May 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act. That law got rid of a tax that the East India Company had to pay to the British government. This let the company sell its tea cheaper than the smuggled stuff. British officials believed that the move would convince colonists to start buying their tea again.

“Parliament was determined to make people import this tea,” says Peter Drummey. He is part of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Many colonists burned with anger at Parliament’s control. But a Boston leader named Samuel Adams seized the opportunity. Since the Colonies were created, they had largely operated independently from each other. Adams believed that outrage over the Tea Act could convince them to unite against Britain once and for all.

By October 1773, word was out that seven ships carrying East India Company tea were heading for the Colonies’ four largest ports: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. No one knew how long it would take the ships to arrive—or which port they would reach first. 

On October 16, colonists in Philadelphia passed a resolution vowing to send the tea back to Britain. Groups in the other port towns made the same promise. 

On November 28, the Dartmouth, the first of the seven ships, entered Boston Harbor. Within hours, handbills appeared all over town: “Friends! Brethren! Countrymen! That worst of plagues, the detested Tea, shipped for this Port by the East-India Company, is now arrived.”

By October 1773, word was out: Seven ships carrying East India Company tea were heading for the Colonies’ four largest ports—Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Charleston. No one knew how long it would take the ships to arrive or which port they would reach first.

On October 16, colonists in Philadelphia passed a resolution. It vowed to send the tea back to Britain. Groups in the other port towns made the same promise.

On November 28, the Dartmouth was the first of the seven ships to arrive. It entered Boston Harbor. Within hours, handbills appeared all over town: “Friends! Brethren! Countrymen! That worst of plagues, the detested Tea, shipped for this Port by the East-India Company, is now arrived.”

For Joshua Wyeth and other young people, the call to action was irresistible. Henry Purkitt, about 18, heard a loud whistle through the open door of the barrel-maker’s shop where he worked. He joined the crowd surging toward Griffin’s Wharf. 

Samuel Sprague, 20, met some friends on the street who told him what was happening. He followed them to the harbor—where he found his bricklayer employer already busy!

Not all employers were as understanding. Peter Slater’s boss locked him in a room to keep him from going. The 13-year-old crawled out a window to get to the action.

The men divided up into three groups and boarded the ships. First step: Find the tea, kept below deck in big chests. Next, haul the chests onto the deck with ropes. This was no easy task—the heaviest were 400 pounds! On deck, men used axes to smash the chests to pieces. Others dumped the loose tea overboard. 

It was a lot of tea—some 45 tons of it. “I never labored harder in my life,” Joshua would say. The tide was low, and tea leaves bunched up in the shallow water like grass in a new-mown field. Some of the boys waded in to break up the clumps with poles or their hands and feet. From the wharf, at least 1,000 Bostonians watched protectively over them, largely in silence.

In less than three hours, the work was done. Then everyone melted back into the night. 

For Joshua Wyeth and other young people, the call to action was irresistible. Henry Purkitt was about 18 years old. He heard a loud whistle through the open door of the barrel-maker’s shop where he worked. He joined the crowd heading toward Griffin’s Wharf.

Samuel Sprague, 20, met some friends on the street who told him what was happening. He followed them to the harbor. There, he found his bricklayer employer already busy!

Not all employers were as understanding as Sprague’s. Peter Slater’s boss locked him in a room to keep him from going. The 13-year-old crawled out a window to get to the action.

The men divided up into three groups. They boarded the ships. First step: Find the tea. It was kept below deck in big chests. Next, pull the chests onto the deck with ropes. This was not easy. The heaviest chests were 400 pounds! On deck, men used axes to smash the chests to pieces. Others dumped the loose tea overboard.

It was a lot of tea—about 45 tons of it. “I never labored harder in my life,” Joshua would say. The tide was low. The tea leaves bunched up in the shallow water like grass in a just-mowed field. Some of the boys waded in to break up the clumps using poles or their hands and feet. From the wharf, at least 1,000 Bostonians watched protectively over them. They were largely silent.

The work was done in less than three hours. Then everyone melted back into the night.

Word of Boston’s defiance electrified resistance in the other ports. When the East India Company tea arrived in Charleston, it was locked up in the basement of a building so it couldn’t be sold. The captains of other tea ships headed for Philadelphia and New York were so unnerved that they turned around and sailed back to England.

The rebellion continued to spread. In October 1774, public pressure forced a captain who had arrived in Annapolis, Maryland, with a load of tea to torch his entire ship! Two months later, a group of men in Greenwich, New Jersey, raided a cellar where East India Company tea had been hidden—and burned it all in the town square.

Word of Boston’s defiance sparked resistance in the other ports. When the East India Company tea arrived in Charleston, it was locked up in the basement of a building. That was to keep it from being sold. The captains of other tea ships were headed for Philadelphia and New York. But they were so alarmed, they turned around and sailed back to England.

The rebellion continued to spread. In October 1774, public pressure affected a captain who had arrived in Annapolis, Maryland, with a load of tea. It forced him to torch his entire ship! Two months later, a group of men in Greenwich, New Jersey, raided a cellar where East India Company tea had been hidden. They burned it all in the town square.

For Britain, the acts of destruction were the last straw. Beginning in March 1774, Parliament passed laws known as the Coercive Acts to punish the Colonies, particularly Boston. 

The first law closed Boston Harbor until the town paid for the destroyed tea—valued at about $1.5 million today. With ships unable to pass in or out, many local businesses were devastated. Another Coercive Act required colonists to house British soldiers in their towns. 

Parliament’s crackdown only inflamed resistance. In September 1774, representatives from 12 of the 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia. The gathering, now known as the First Continental Congress, formally demanded that the Coercive Acts be ended. Parliament refused.

But as the divide with Britain grew, the relationship between the Colonies deepened. The acts of rebellion “helped to unite the Colonies for war and independence,” says historian Benjamin Carp. It was exactly what Adams had hoped for.

Virginia delegate Patrick Henry made that plain at the Continental Congress. “The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more,” he said. “I am not a Virginian, but an American.” 

Within months, the Americans and the British were at war. When the American Revolution ended eight years later, the Colonies formed a new nation, the United States of America.

As for Joshua? He joined the revolution himself, fighting in several battles. In 1826, nearing 70 years old, he became one of the first people to tell a reporter a long-held secret—the role he and others had played decades earlier in an incident that was just beginning to become an American legend: the Boston Tea Party.

For Britain, the acts of destruction were the last straw. Beginning in March 1774, Parliament passed laws known as the Coercive Acts. The laws were meant to punish the Colonies, especially Boston.

The first law closed Boston Harbor until the town paid for the destroyed tea. Its value would be about $1.5 million today. Ships were unable to pass in or out. This devastated many local businesses. Another Coercive Act required colonists to house British soldiers in their towns.

Parliament’s crackdown only fired up resistance. In September 1774, representatives from 12 of the 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia. That gathering is now known as the First Continental Congress. It formally demanded that the Coercive Acts be ended. Parliament refused.

The divide with Britain grew. As it did, the relationship between the Colonies deepened. The acts of rebellion “helped to unite the Colonies for war and independence,” says historian Benjamin Carp. It was exactly what Adams had hoped for.

Virginia delegate Patrick Henry made that plain at the Continental Congress. “The distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers, and New Englanders are no more,” he said. “I am not a Virginian, but an American.”

Within months, the Americans and the British were at war. When the American Revolution ended eight years later, the Colonies formed a new nation. It was the United States of America.

As for Joshua? He joined the revolution himself. He fought in several battles. In 1826, Joshua was nearing 70 years old. That is when he became one of the first people to tell a reporter a long-held secret. He spoke about the role he and others had played decades earlier in an incident that was just beginning to become an American legend: the Boston Tea Party.