Tea was first introduced to the American colonies when the Dutch imported it into New Amsterdam (modern day New York) in the mid-17th century. By the following century, tea drinking had become woven into the everyday lives of the American people. The British however, seeking to control the profits of the tea trade, passed legislation requiring Americans to import their tea solely from Britain, while also imposing heavy taxes. A series of revolts known as ‘Tea Parties’ ensued, the most famous being the Boston Tea Party in December 1773, during which revolutionaries destroyed 314 chests of East India Company tea in Boston harbour. This silver teapot was made in Boston and bears the arms of John Marston, a member of the Sons of Liberty, an organisation established to fight the tea taxes imposed by the British. During the Boston Tea Party, Marston assisted the revolutionaries by supplying muskets.
