I decided to compare the Boston Tea Party in our two readings off Woods and Hakim. Woods was very straight forward giving facts that the North intended the Tea Act ONLY to be a means of saving the East India Company from bankruptcy. This was the final straw for the Americans. Due to the unconstitutionality of the existing tax on tea but it also permitted the company to grant monopolies for selling the tea to favored Colonial merchants, which excluded the American traders. Woods did put a quote in from John Adams "This is the most magnificent movement of all". "This destruction of the tea is so bold, so daring, so firm, intrepid, and inflexible, and it must have so important consequences, and so lasting, that I can't but consider it an epocha in history." The Parliament created the Coercive Acts as a result of the Boston Tea Party. First, it closed port Boston until all the destroyed tea was paid. Secondly, it altered the Massachusetts's charter and reorganized the government. Thirdly, it gave Royal officials who committed capital crimes to be tried in England to avoid hostile juries. Lastly, it gave the Governor power to take private buildings to house troops instead of sleeping in barracks. It was very factual and straightforward. While reading I was able to understand but not get a lot of imagery through the text. It was very well written but matter of fact.
Hakim on the other hand first introduced the Boston Tea Party through a painting and song on page 5 of her book. The painting clearly illustrates the emotional tone of rebellion and attitudes of the Americans. It depicted the Americans dressed as Indians dumping the tea from the ships. The song could actually be heard on the Internet how it was sang 200 years ago: http://www.contemplator.com/america/richlady.html. This was a wonderful experience to hear. So, automatically it sparked interest with a song and imagery. The lyrics compared England the the Queen and a mother and the Americans were the depicted in the song as the child or the daughter. Throughout the song and a poem by Benjamin Franklin they use a parent/child relationship to compare the Revolutionary times. Very interesting with some very valid points. Hakim writes that King George 111 and his ministers didn't believe the colonists were gown up and capable of taking care of themselves. A London paper wrote that Americans were a mongrel breed. This was suppose to be insulting but actually was not an insult but had truth to it. America from the very beginning was a mixture of people. It was diverse and this dynamic was new and challenging. On page 51, Hakim compares this time as a fight between parents and children. Parents (England) did not realize their children (Americans) were grown up and can take care of themselves and sometimes children are not as thoughtful as they can be. There are always 2 sides to every quarrel. Also, Hakim makes a good point when recognizing that everyone agreed that King Geroge made some mistakes due to caring more about power and teaching the Americans a lesson then the importance of "taxation without representation".
