British Response to the Boston Tea Party

Lord Dartmouth Gives Instructions to Governor Gage

Sep 13, 2009

When Bostonians threw tea in the harbor, England had to respond. A new governor, closing the port, and other harsh measures were planned.

In December 1773, colonists in Boston destroyed the cargo of several tea ships into Boston Harbor rather than be assessed the hated tax on it. When news of this reached England, King George III and Parliament knew they had to act. Parliament passed an act that closed Boston Harbor to all commerce, and the king appointed General Thomas Gage, already commanded of the king’s troops in Massachusetts, to be governor.

Lord Dartmouth Gives Gage Special Instructions

As it happened, General Gage was in England at this time, scheduled to return to his command in Massachusetts. Lord Dartmouth, the secretary of state for the colonies, wrote Gage a lengthy letter of instructions, with many enclosures. In addition to the usual instructions that would be given to a new governor, Dartmouth told Gage how he would be expected to deal with the growing lawlessness in Massachusetts.

Dartmouth wrote, “What is further necessary for your direction in the present state of disorder and commotion within that province, and for enabling you to carry into execution the measures that have been and probably will be adopted for reducing it to a state of obedience to lawful authority, is of a more delicate and important nature, and requires more precise and particular instructions.”

The King’s Concerns About Massachusetts’ Actions

As Dartmouth said in the letter: “…the sovereignty of the King, in his Parliament, over the colonies requires a full and absolute submission; and His Majesty’s dignity demands that, until that submission be made, the town of Boston, where so much anarchy and confusion have prevailed, should cease to be the place of the residence of his governor….” It appears that the British saw the problem of unlawfulness was confined to Boston, not to the entire colony of Massachusetts. The new governor was to move his residence to Salem so as to further punish Boston.

Dartmouth advised Gage to use troops under his command to keep the peace. Only, however, if it was found that “the madness of the people…or the timidity or want of strength of the peace officers” made it necessary. Dartmouth said this was not preferred, but it was one of the reasons the general had been made governor. He could best keep the peace, having a standing army to command. The colonial abhorrence of a standing army seemed of no concern to the British as this time. That grievance was not something they appeared to have considered.

Great Britain seemed to understand that the main problem was the colonists no longer felt they were under the sovereignty of the king, and thus not under the authority of Parliament. The Tea Act had been passed by Parliament. The king thought it was a good law. For the Bostonians to have refused to accept the imported tea and pay the tax was an affront to the king. It was to say the colonists no longer considered themselves the king’s subjects.

Bringing the Tea Party Perpetrators to Justice

One of the king’s most important desires concerning Massachusetts was that those who had destroyed the tea—at least the ringleaders—would be brought to justice. The preference was that the trial be in England. All the king’s legal advisors believed conviction would be certain in British courts. However, catching and transporting the ringleaders seemed a difficult task, so Dartmouth instructed Gage, “It will therefore be your duty…to make all possible inquiry into every particular of the transactions pointed out…and to employ your utmost endeavors to obtain sufficient evidence against the principal actors therein….” Then, the ringleaders were to be tried.

Dartmouth stated that the people of Massachusetts, as subjects of the king, could best demonstrate their loyal to of His Majesty by “zealous endeavors to render effectual a due prosecution of the offenders.” The king and others were concerned, however, about obtaining a conviction in Massachusetts, however, and to Gage was instructed not to proceed with a trial if “the prejudices of the people should appear to you to be such as would, in all probability, prevent a conviction.”

Thus were the British views of the situation in Massachusetts Bay Colony immediately after the Boston Tea Party. Punish the city of Boston. Use troops to keep the peace. Seek justice but only if it was sure the Colonial courts were in agreement with the Crown.

The copyright of the article British Response to the Boston Tea Party in Colonial America is owned by David Todd. Permission to republish British Response to the Boston Tea Party in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.