NO TAX ON TEA! That was the decision on December 16, 1773, when 5,000 angry colonists gathered at the Old South Meeting House to protest a tax... and started a revolution with the Boston Tea Party.
The spacious, brick meeting house that stands today at Washington and Milk Streets is the actual building where colonists met in November and December of 1773 to protest the tea tax. When you visit Old South Meeting House, you stand in the same hall where Josiah Quincy cautioned the colonists that their protests might stir up a hornet’s nest; where Dr. Thomas Young warned against the ill effects of tea; where Samuel Adams give his secret signal, sending “Mohawks” to the harbor; and where John Hancock cried,
“Let every man do what is right in his own eyes!”
Find out more:
- How the Boston Tea Party Began – a definitive account of the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party
- Revolution 1773 - an article by historian Alfred Young about the meaning of the meetings at Old South Meeting House
- List of Participants – a complete listing of those who were likely involved in the Boston Tea Party
- Frequently asked questions - common questions and answers
- Annual Boston Tea Party Reenactment - our full scale reenactment with over 80 authentic reenactors every December 16
- Living history - participatory programs for school groups and adult tour groups
