Revolutionary Footsteps: George Robert Hughes and the Boston Tea Party's Bold Defiance

Send us a text

Step into the shoes of George Robert  Hughes, a humble shoemaker turned revolutionary, as we unravel the dramatic events of December 16th, 1773. Discover how the British government's taxing measures, such as the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, fueled a simmering discontent that erupted into the Boston Tea Party—a bold defiance against oppressive taxation. From the charged atmosphere at the Old South Meeting House to the clandestine preparations of patriots disguised as Mohawks, this episode promises a vivid portrayal of colonial resistance that ignited the flames of the American Revolution.

Join us as we hear directly from Hughes, whose firsthand recollections bring to life the fervor and determination of those who dared to challenge the might of the British Empire. His unique perspective sheds light on pivotal moments, including his participation in the Boston Massacre and the audacious act of tossing tea into Boston Harbor. As we explore these historical events, gain a deeper understanding of the strained relationship between Britain and the colonies, and how these tensions propelled a nation towards its quest for independence. Tune in for an engaging journey through history, capturing the spirit of a young nation on the brink of revolution.

Support the show

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
December 16th 1773.
251 years ago, events had beenset into motion what would later
become the American Revolutionand the independence of the
colonies.
But first some history leadingup to that fateful night.
The British victory in theFrench and Indian War came at a
high price.
By 1763, king George III andhis government, burdened by war

(00:20):
debts, saw an opportunity torecover costs by taxing the
American colonies.
Government burdened by wardebts saw an opportunity to
recover costs by taxing theAmerican colonies.
This wasn't just about money,though.
It was also about reassertingcontrol over colonial
governments that had becomeautonomously spirited.
During the war, royalmismanagement only exasperated
tensions, leading to a series ofprovocative actions the Stamp
Act of 1765, which imposed taxeson all printed materials in the

(00:43):
colonies.
The Townsend Act of 1765, whichimposed taxes on all printed
materials in the colonies.
The Townsend Act of 1767, whichlevied taxes on imported goods
like glass, lead, paint and tea.
The Boston Massacre of 1770,where British soldiers killed
five civilians and inflamedcolonial settlements.
These events strained relations, but it was the taxation of tea
, of all things, that trulygalvanized the colonies into

(01:05):
action, setting the stage forthe American Revolution.
The colonists opposed theTownsend Act, arguing they
lacked representation in theParliament that legislated these
taxes.
In response, parliamentrepealed most of the taxes, but
kept the tea duty as a symbolicassertion of its taxing
authority.
In a twist, in May 1773,parliament granted the East

(01:26):
India Company a monopoly on teaimports to America,
significantly reducing the taxon tea.
This deal was meant to make teacheaper for Americans, tempting
them to pay the tax and therebyrecognizing Parliament's right
to tax.
Tea was more than just a drink.
It was a daily ritual in thecolonial homes, leading to the
assumption that colonists wouldprefer affordability over

(01:47):
principle.
However, the colonists sawthrough this ploy.
In Philadelphia and New York,tea shipments were denied
docking rights.
In Charleston, the tea wasstored for three years, later
sold by patriots to fund theeventual revolution.
The drama peaked in Boston onDecember 16, 1773.
Three T-ships, the Dartmouth,eleanor and Beaver arrived,

(02:11):
igniting emotional opposition.
At the old South Meeting House,thousands gathered, deciding
the ships must leave withoutpaying the duty.
A delegation was dispatched tothe Customs House, but the
collector refused to release theships without tax payment.
Batch to the customs house, butthe collector refused to
release the ships without taxpayment, leading to a deadlock.
As evening fell, about 200 men,some disguised as Mohawk
Indians, gathered on a hillchanting war cries.

(02:32):
They marched to the wharf,boarded the ships and, in an act
of defiance, dumped 342 chestsof tea into the Boston Harbor.
The reaction was polarized.
Colonists celebrated this boldstatement, while London's
response was swift and punitive.
In March of 1774, parliamentenacted the Intolerable Acts,
notably closing Boston's port,directly accelerating the march

(02:55):
towards independence.
This brings us to George RobertXII's Hughes.
George RT Hughes was born in1742 in Boston's South End and
he was among the last livingparticipants of the Revolution.
A shoemaker by trade, hugheswas initially apprenticed to a
man that he detested and hisattempt to join the British Army

(03:16):
was snubbed.
Due to his height, only a fivefoot one inch, his life was
marked by poverty until he foundhis place in history during
events like the Boston Massacre,where he was injured, and the
Boston Tea Party, where he wasone of the Indians throwing tea
overboard.
His recollections, publishedlater, offer a unique
perspective on these pivotalmoments.

(03:37):
31-year-old George Hughes andothers boarded the tea ships
that evening, december 16th of1773.
His recollection of the eventwas published some years later,
almost 50 years to be exact.
It was now evening and Iimmediately dressed myself in
the costume of an Indian,equipped with a small hatchet,
which I and my associatesdenominated the Tomahawk, with

(03:58):
which and a club.
After having painted my faceand hands with coal dust in the
shop of a blacksmith, I repairedto Griffin's Wharf, where ships
lay that contained the tea.
When I first appeared in thestreet after thus being
disguised, I fell in with manywho were dressed, equipped and
painted as I was, and who fellin with me and marched in order

(04:19):
to the place of our destination.
When we arrived at the wharf,there were three of our number
who assumed an authority todirect our operations, to which
we readily submitted.
They divided us into threeparties for the purpose of
boarding the three ships whichcontained the tea at the same
time.
The name of him who commandedthe division to which I was
assigned was Leonard Pitt.

(04:39):
The names of the othercommanders I never knew.
We were immediately ordered bythe respective commanders to
board all the ships at the sametime, in which we promptly
obeyed the commander of thedivision to which I belonged.
As soon as we were on board,the ship appointed me bosun and
ordered me to go to the captainand demand of him the keys to
the hatches and a dozen candles,and ordered me to go to the

(05:00):
captain and demand of him thekeys to the hatches and a dozen
candles.
I made the demand accordingly,and the captain promptly replied
and delivered the articles, butrequested me at the same time
to do no damage to the ship orrigging.
We then were ordered by ourcommander to open the hatches
and take out all the chests oftea and throw them overboard,
and we immediately proceeded toexecute his orders, first
cutting and splitting the chestswith our tomahawks so as

(05:23):
thoroughly to expose them to theeffects of the water.
In about three hours from thetime that we went on board, we
had thus broken and thrownoverboard every tea chest to be
found in the ship, while thoseand the other ships were
disposing of the tea in the sameway.
At the same time, we weresurrounded by British armed
ships, but no attempt was madeto resist us.
The next morning, after we hadcleared the ships of tea, it was

(05:45):
discovered that veryconsiderable quantities of it
were floating upon the surfaceof the water, and to prevent the
possibility of any of its beingsaved for use, a number of
small boats were manned bysailors and citizens who rowed
them into those parts of theharbor wherever the tea was
visible and, by beating it withthe oars and paddles, so
thoroughly drenched it as torender its entire destruction

(06:07):
inevitable.
Later it would be known thatHughes was the center of the
events surrounding the tarringand feathering of John Malcolm.
Malcolm was a Bostonian whoworked for the British Custom
Service and he was a seriousloyalist and a staunch supporter
of royal authority.
Hughes detested Malcolm andfrequently insulted him in the
streets.
When Malcolm once tried tostrike a small child with his
cane, hughes intervened, arguedand Malcolm ended up striking

(06:30):
Hughes in the forehead with hiscane.
After seeing his doctor, hugheswent to a magistrate's office
to get a warrant for JohnMalcolm's arrest.
Later that night, january 25,1774, a mob seized Malcolm from
his home and dragged him intoKing Street.
Despite objections of Hughes,malcolm was tarred and feathered
.
He was taken to the LibertyTree and was threatened with
hanging unless he apologized forhis behavior and renounced his

(06:52):
customs commission.
Malcolm relented.
Hughes would eventually entermilitary service and in 1776 he
boarded the privateering shipDiamond.
The voyage was successful,resulting in the capture of
three enemy vessels.
He served in many other battlesand sea voyages until 1781,

(07:14):
when his military career ended.
After the War of 1812, hughesand his family moved to
Richfield Springs in OstegaCounty, new York For the rest of
his life.
He was well-respected in thecommunity for his contribution
to the cause of the AmericanRevolution and was always a
desired participant in memorialceremonies.
He died November 5, 1840, atthe age of 98.

(07:34):
He had no public commemorationin Richfield Springs In 1896, he
was reburied ceremoniously inthe town's Grand Army of the
Republic Cemetery.