Updated December 16 at 6 am Eastern: These are sold out. Thanks to everyone who supported the design.
. . .
Our original design, available exclusively from The History List, commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773.
It is made of three pieces that can be hung together, in pairs, or individually: A clear star printed with "1773" and snowflakes, a solid piece showing a tea crate spilling tea, and a third piece, clear, showing waves with text taken from The Tea Act of 1773.
The star with snowflakes is the same size as in our first ornament, which celebrated Washington's successful attack on Trenton on Christmas Day Eve. We've included a photo of the crate from this year's ornament together with George Washington's "Santa" bag from the earlier ornament.
When hung together, the total height, from tree branch to the bottom of the wave, is 16". Individual pieces are 4" - 4
½" high. The wave is 9" wide and the crate is 7
½" wide at its widest point.
Made in America. Includes three hangers/connectors.
Also available, our Boston Tea Party 250th annivesary gift set which includes a tea towel, 10 pcs. gift tags, magnet, and a postcard.
View our entire Boston Tea Party collection, including shirts, prints, stickers, magnets and more.
Historic event behind the design
The Tea Act of 1773 gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in America.
On the evening of December 16th, 1773, Bostonians, following the lead of the Sons of Liberty and disguised as Narragansett or Mohawk Indians (sources disagree), boarded three ships and destroyed 342 chests of East India Company tea, which they dumped in the harbor.
The destruction of the tea was the final straw for Parliament and led to the Intolerable Acts of 1774. These closed the port of Boston, instituted a military government, quartered troops among the population, and allowed all British officials charged with a crime to stand trial in Great Britain instead of the Colonies.
Many years later George Hewes, a 31–year–old shoemaker and participant, recalled "We then were ordered by our commander to open the hatches and take out all the chests of tea and throw them overboard. And we immediately proceeded to execute his orders, first cutting and splitting the chests with our tomahawks, so as thoroughly to expose them to the effects of the water."
Sources: National Archives, University of Houston
An excellent write up on the event from the National History Education Clearinghouse answers the question, "Why Was the Boston Tea Party Not Stopped by British Troops?" and provides a detailed description of exactly what happened.
Christopher Sherwood Davis gave a talk captured on video at History Camp Boston 2023 on, "The Boston Tea Party: Separating Myth from Reality after 250 Years."
Thanks to Christopher S. Davis who writes the blog TeaCrisis1773.blogspot.com for his help with this design. Your ornament will include a historical note from from Christopher.