I was so busted. In my defense, how do you expect a seven year old to do nap time with their head on a desk when there is a educational segment about the Boston Tea Party playing on TV? Back in the 60’s there was educational public television, pre-Sesame Street. Lessons would include watching a televised programs. This was second grade, after lunch, when we were suppose to nap for 15 minutes before our televised lesson. However, the TV was on with a program for high school American History. As a 7 year old, I was very confused. The scenes depicted boxes being tossed off a boat, well that was littering to start with and since it was tea, it was also polluting. But how is this a tea party? Tea needs hot water and how were people going to drink? I forgot to pretend to nap and just sat up watching trying to make it make sense. My teacher did not appear amused, or maybe I wasn’t really busted, she just saw comic relief with my confused face mumbling to myself.
Saturday marked the 250 year celebration of the Boston Tea Party. Saturday night, I got to witness another enactment of tea being tossed into the Charles River. We studied the Boston Tea Party in American History in 10th grade. Well, part of it. The part about the patriots tired of high British taxes and all that. Other than Crispus Attucks, a black man, who became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre there was no mention of the enslaved. But the reactant prompted me to did deeper.
At the time of the American Revolution, 24% of the US population were of African descent. That’s huge. The head of the army, founding father, General George Washington directed, “Neither Negroes, Boys unable to bare Arms, nor old men unfit to endure the fatigues of the campaign, are to be inlisted.” Alas, another racist chapter in American history that didn’t make the text books. It was rationalized that the enslaved would revolt once armed. Really? Yet, militarily, this didn’t make sense. The patriots used the enslaved as ship captains, in areas of service, anything that would not require them to bear arms with the promise those who served would be freed at the end of the war.
Britain played the long game. The colonies economic survival was dependent on the labor of the enslaved. Strategically, they determined they could undermine the economics of the colonies and increase the size of their troops by offering freedom to the enslaved. As a result, estimates are 20,000 enslaved joined the Loyalist and fought for Britain; 40% of the enslaved population. Considering these were men who enlisted, the numbers indicate the a majority percentage enslaved supported Britain. A great marketing pitch since slavery had been abolished in Britain.
Post war, no promises were kept. None. Britain sent the loyalists of African decent who supported them to the Caribbean as enslaved and prevented those who tried to leave the US from coming to Britain. The patriots kept those of African decent enslaved. It’s sad, it’s unjust, it’s US. Imagine that promise of freedom, free from beatings, restrictions, not allowed to read or write. Imagine, going through war with the promise of freedom for your family only to be cruelly enslaved by those you fought with and fought for. They got their “freedom” and somehow justified the hypocrisy of denying you yours.
As a kid, tea party had two meanings for me. As an adult, the revolutionary war has two meanings. The Revolutionary War gave the colonies freedom from the rule of Britain and the Revolutionary War is when America built a foundation of racism and broken promises. This is not an attempt at cancel culture, finger pointing or mic drops. It’s just history. History we can learn from. Consider, do you keep to the narrative of the land of the free and home of the brave or do you embrace the full story colonization and greed? Do you drink the kool-aid or spill the tea?
Balancing on Unstable Surfaces 
Excellent thought provoking post, Bous!
LikeLiked by 1 person