TEA IN ENGLAND
The history of tea in America begins in England. The import of tea into England began in 1660 and by the end of the century tea drinking was widespread. Many areas of society profited from the growth, including the national treasury from import duties, the East India Company, the sugar planters of British West Indies, the pottery industry, silversmiths, retail stores and tea and coffee stores.

TEA IN THE COLONIES
As the European groups traveled to the new colonies, they took with them their tea drinking habits and essential equipment like teapots, samovars, kettles, and tea cups. It has been estimated by James Norwood Pratt that in 1674, those in the colony of New York probably drank more tea than those in all of England. The demand for tea only grew in the following decades. By 1730 tea was sold in Boston dry-goods, grocers, hardware, millinery, and apothecary shops. In New York numerous tea gardens sprang up. The city established special tea water pumps around the city. By 1757 a law was enacted to establish Tea Water Men in the City.

Tea was an important part of life in America before the Revolution. It was drunk in the backwoods, the cities, on farms, and in more settled areas. In colonial Boston, the fashions were largely based on the fashions in England. Wealthy families would melt down silver coins to make household objects like teapots, sugar bowls and cream pails. This was a good way to protect their money as there were no banks and coins were easy to steal. The value of the material used to cast the objects also expressed the social importance of tea in colonial America. Because of the high cost of tea and all the raccessories, the ritual of tea in society became a sign of social status.

BRITAIN IMPOSES NEW TAXES
After the Seven Year (1756-1763), England was in financial crisis and to raise funds, imposed taxes on many items including tea destined for the colonies. These taxes were indexed in the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Act of 1767. The colonists were outraged by the taxes and the 13 colonies established non-importation agreements among themselves. Essentially the colonists boycotted the products including the tea. Tea drinkers either bought untaxed tea brought in by Holland or they began to drink substitutes.

WOMEN JOIN THE BOYCOTT
Groups of patriotic women called "Daughters of Liberty" drank herbal brews of sage and other local plants and signed pledges to support colonial resistance to British tax measures. This was one of the earliest examples of organized political effort on the part of women. Tea drinking became tantamount to an open avowal of Toryism. Said Judge Peter Oliver of Plymouth, MA, Those who were anxious to avoid the odorous epithet of enemies to their country strictly prohibited the use of tea in their families.

By 1769, British exports in general had fallen by half. As well, the East India Company, which was responsible for exporting the tea grown in India to Britain and other tea drinking countries, faced fiscal ruin. Like our General Motors, the East India Company could not be allowed to fail. The English Cabinet agreed to drop the duties except for tea on which a small tax of three penny per pound was retained to proclaim British sovereignty over the colonies. This seemed to enrage the colonists even more and they continued to boycott tea with even more vigor.

Before long the East India Company engineered the Tea Act of 1773 which authorized the Company to ship tea directly to the colonies without paying import duties and to sell it through its own agents in America. In other words, they were granted a monopoly and were able to undercut the price of tea from the Dutch. The American merchants were cut out as were the American shippers and middlemen. In addition to these moves the British added insult to injury by retaining the tiny three penny colonial tax. This Act succeeded in uniting the colonists against the British. This ends Part 1. To continue with Part 2, click the link below or go back to the Traditions Links.

Early History of Tea in America Part 2

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