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| Journals Reveal Colonial Hardships by Theo D |
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December 10, 1773
To my beloved father,
Please do not be alarmed by my recent absence of communication. It has
been hard to write due to my grueling schedule. Rigging the ships
all day does become exhuasting. With sweat flying down my back, I
climb the masts and tie knots to the ships. Though with four shillings
a day, I barely get food on the table. It gets quite frustrating
sometimes. Since it seems most of my coworkers are Whigs, I often hear
them whining about the tea. What makes me fearful is that The
Dartmouth, followed by The Beaver, and The Eleanor arrived just
yesterday, containing an unfathomable amount of tea. With that
much tea, even a small portion gone would send the economy into a
frenzy. The Sons of Liberty want them to turn back to England or
they will destroy the tea. Please, don’t make me laugh; the so called
“Patriots” unmounting royal ships, not possible. Though I am worried
that with all this conflict something is bound to happen, something
that’s not good.
Our Royal Governor, Thomas Hutchinson, is exceedingly persistent about
unloading the ships. As Hutchinson should, he won’t budge for the Sons
of Liberty, so it is decided, the tea will be unloaded and the taxes
paid. I am very confused: the tax is only 3 pence, yet the people
refuse to pay it.
Lucky is what you are; being in Britain and all. Tension is
arising, and I overheard some fellow workers on the docks conversing
about some meeting for the “tea problem.” Just like a teapot the
city is boiling, and I dare say the worst is to come.
Your son,
William
December 16,1773
Dearest Father,
Not too long ago, I went to an interesting meeting on the tea problem.
People loyal to the King and some leader of the Sons of Liberty called
Adams, seemed to be debating over the tea that was to be unloaded this
very night! Hundreds of people swarmed in, one after the other, until
the discussion had gotten so huge we had to move to the South Meeting
House. It was an astonishing sight. Clever remarks were exchanged
between the Loyalists and the Whigs in the blink of an eye. I felt
horribly for Mr. Rotch, a young merchant that sailed the ships. He
either gets fired upon in the harbor, if he returns to England,
or risks bringing harm to his business. Meaningful things were said
through the whole night until the attention shifted to the front of the
room. Adams took his last stand and said some odd quote. To my
surprise, about three quarters of the people in the meeting left in a
hurry. The space looked abandoned compared to what it was.
After the meeting, my employer had planned for me to work an extra
shift. So I did. Concluding a long hard day with more work is not to my
fancy. Yet I must, or my job will be threatened. Chopping away
with my adz, I started to here a rising commotion coming from the
streets. Immediately men dressed as Indians burst onto the wharf with
such quickness that they nearly scared me to death. Then I backed away
so I wouldn’t be seen. Like an explosion, crates of tea shot off the
boat wildly and into the ocean. This went on for quite a while. For my
safety, I left so fast you would think I was being chased. You don’t
know what else they are going to throw in the water. Oh Lord, may this
madness stop. I pray for your safety, and my own.
Sincerely,
William
January 4, 1774
My Dearest Father,
I write to you now in an uproar of emotion. To such an extent, even my
loyalty to the King is questionable. Following the actions of the
destruction of the tea, the Parliament and King George passed the
Intolerable Acts. Which are in fact, intolerable. Primarily, they
have closed the harbor, all trade, and took away our rights in
court. Without trade we can’t get materials for our ships, thus closing
our business and putting me in a position to find a new job. Some
of my
acquaintances are also affected in their trade because the fish are
getting sick from the water. Boston has been crippled and I don’t think
the colonists will take to it very well.
In addition, another bad event has taken place. My wife, Martha, has
come down with something. Since we can’t afford a doctor, I
made an assumption; she has a blood problem. So I ran to the apothocary
to try to get some toad powder. They were not able to supply me with it
because of the lack of trade. Also, riots are increasing and the
feeling of anger is very common. The most maddening thing is that we
have to suffer for what a small group of selfish people did. I am
biting my nails; I would hate to see another Christopher Sieder
incident.
Boston has erupted into a place I wish not to be. I fear for not only
mine, but for my children's lives. Good fortune is not plentiful in
these parts.
Best wishes,
William |
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Historical References:
Boston Tea Party: Ships and Museums. April 3, 2006.
2006. http://www.bostonteapary.com/history.asp
Boston Tea Party. US-History. April 7, 2006.
2005.http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/hg4g.htm
Jansen, casandra. Boston Tea Party. April 25, 2006. 2005.
www.let.rugih.hl/usa/E/teaparty/bostonxt.htm
Pualine Maier. Boston Tea Party. World Book. April 26, 2006.
2006.
Stein, R. Cornerstones of
Freedom. The Boston Tea
Party. Groiler Publishing. New York. 1996
Marterson, John. Colonial Life.April 4, 2006. 2005.
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/colonialzation
_colonial_life.html
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Historical Terms
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| Whig |
Tax |
| Loyalist |
Patriot |
| Pence |
Liberty |
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About the Historian
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Theo's favorite
subject is math. He loves playing sports and hanging out with friends.
He also is a huge Yankee fan.
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