Boston Tea Party at 250

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Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party at Faneuil Hall

In May of 1774 Bostonians gathered in the Great Hall in Faneuil Hall to vote on their response to the punishment from Parliament for the Boston Tea Party. Should Bostonians vote to pay for the destroyed private property and reopen the port? Or should they endorse a boycott of British goods and continue protesting Parliament?

Nearly 100 years later, on December 15, 1873, the New England Women’s Suffrage Association organized the “Woman’s Tea Party,” a massive rally in the Great Hall of Faneuil Hall. At the conclusion of the meeting, those in attendance voted on a resolution. Should they continue to fight for women to gain the right to vote?

Join us at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm on December 17 in the Great Hall in Faneuil Hall and help the National Parks of Boston recreate these historic meetings! Both programs are free, open to the public for all ages, and last 30-45 minutes.

Destruction of the Tea (1:00 pm)

On December 16, 1773, Bostonians boarded three tea ships at Griffins Wharf and dumped over 300 chests of tea into the harbor to protest a tax placed upon tea. In response to the destruction of over 90,000 pounds of East India Company Property, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts which closed the Port of Boston until the tea was paid for.

In May 1774 Bostonians gathered in the Great Hall in Faneuil Hall to vote on their response to the closing of the Port of Boston. Should Bostonians vote to pay for the destroyed private property and reopen the port? Or should they endorse a boycott of British goods and continue protesting Parliament?

1873 Women's Tea Party (3:00 pm)

On December 15, 1873, Boston’s suffragists held a massive rally in the Great Hall in Faneuil Hall. The New England Women’s Suffrage Association organized the "Woman’s Tea Party" nearly 100 years after the Boston Tea Party to advocate for women to gain the right to vote. Leading suffragists, who saw themselves as true inheritors of the legacy of the American Revolution, delivered rousing speeches to a crowd of more than three thousand.

At the conclusion of the meeting, those in attendance voted on a resolution. Should they continue to fight for women’s suffrage?

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