History of Tea
Tea and the American Revolution
England had recently completed the French and Indian War,
fought, from England's point of view, to free the colony from
French influence and stabilize trade. It was the feeling of
Parliament that as a result, it was not unreasonable that the
colonists shoulder the majority of the cost. After all, the war
had been fought for their benefit. Charles Townshend presented
the first tax measures which today are known by his name. They
imposed a higher tax on newspapers, tavern licenses (too much
free speech there), legal documents, marriage licenses, and
docking papers. The colonists rebelled against taxes imposed
upon them without their consent and which were so repressive.
New, heavier taxes were leveled by Parliament for such
rebellion. Among these was, in June 1767, the tea tax that was
to become the watershed of America's desire for freedom.
(Townshend died three months later of a fever never to know his
tax measures helped create a free nation.)
The colonists rebelled and openly purchased imported tea,
largely Dutch in origin. The John company, already in deep
financial trouble saw its profits fall even further. By 1773
the John Company merged with the East India Company for
structural stability and pleaded with the Crown for assistance.
The new Lord of the Treasury, Lord North, as a response to this
pressure, granted to the new Company permission to sell
directly to the colonists, by-passing the colonial merchants
and pocketing the difference. In plotting this strategy,
England was counting on the well known passion among American
women for tea to force consumption. It was a major
miscalculation. Throughout the colonies, women pledged publicly
at meetings and in newspapers not to drink English sold tea
until their free rights (and those of their merchant husbands)
were restored.
The Boston Tea Party
By December 16 events had deteriorated enough that the men
of Boston, dressed as Indians threw hundreds of pounds of tea
into the harbor: The Boston Tea Party. Such leading citizens as
Samuel Adams and John Hancock took part. England had had
enough. In retaliation, the port of Boston was closed and the
city occupied by royal troops. The colonial leaders met and
revolution was declared.
The Trade Continued in the Orient
Though concerned over developments in America, English tea
interests still centered on the product's source-the Orient.
There the trading of tea had become a way of life, developing
its own language known as "Pidgin English". Created solely to
facilitate commerce, the language was composed of English,
Portuguese, and Indian words all pronounced in Chinese. Indeed,
the word "Pidgin" is a corrupted form of the Chinese word for
"do business".
So dominant was the tea culture within the English speaking
cultures that many of these words came to hold a permanent
place in our language.
- "Mandarin" (from the Portuguese "mandar" meaning to
order) - the court official empowered by the emperor to
trade tea.
- "Cash" (from the Portuguese "caixa" meaning case or
money box)-the currency of tea transactions.
- "Caddy" (from the Chinese word for one pound
weight)-the standard tea trade container.
- "Chow" (from the Indian word for food cargo)-slang for
food.
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