1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Hello everyone, it's Eves checking in here to let you 2 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:04,920 Speaker 1: know that you're going to be hearing two different events 3 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:07,280 Speaker 1: in history in this episode, one from me and one 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: from Tracy V. Wilson. They're both good, if I do 5 00:00:09,800 --> 00:00:13,480 Speaker 1: say so myself. On with the show. Welcome to this 6 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Day in History Class from how Stuff Works dot com 7 00:00:16,280 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: and from the desk of Stuff You Missed in History Class. 8 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: It's the show where we explore the past one day 9 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 1: at a time with a quick look at what happened 10 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:30,360 Speaker 1: today in history. Hi there, and welcome to the podcast. 11 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Christopher Hacotis. Today it's December six, and 12 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:37,800 Speaker 1: the Boston Tea Party took place on this day in 13 00:00:37,920 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy three. Now we have to go back to 14 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,440 Speaker 1: Boston in the colony of Massachusetts in the seventeen sixties, 15 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: so a little bit before the Tea Party. This is 16 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: before the United States was a country or a political movement. 17 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,479 Speaker 1: Really everyone was still a British subject. And to understand 18 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: the context of what became the Tea Party what led 19 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: to the event, you need to know about the Stamp 20 00:00:56,600 --> 00:01:00,440 Speaker 1: Act of seventeen sixty. Now, many good had to be 21 00:01:00,480 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: stamped in order to prove taxes were being paid back 22 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: to Britain. This isn't just about postage stamps. It's a 23 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:10,080 Speaker 1: playing cards, all sorts of goods. And the colonists responded 24 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: that these internal taxes were two owners. It's too much 25 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:15,360 Speaker 1: of a pain. It was a contentious issue. The people 26 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: who are actually in charge of overseeing the stamps resigned 27 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: and left their posts, and Britain responded that, okay, we 28 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: won't do that, but will instead tax imports to the colonies. 29 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: And all this talk of tax may conjure thoughts of 30 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: the saying no taxation without representation. This is the sort 31 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: of thing that is hammered into the heads of people 32 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: in American history classes in middle school and high school. 33 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: And what it means is that no specific members of 34 00:01:38,520 --> 00:01:41,040 Speaker 1: Parliament back in Britain were elected by the colonists or 35 00:01:41,160 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: represented their interests directly. Parliament, on their hand, responded that 36 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: essentially the colonists did have representation because everybody in Parliament 37 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: represented them sort of. This was known as virtual representation. 38 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: The colonists didn't really see eyed eye with the Parliament 39 00:01:57,040 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: on this and led to some more conflict, and that 40 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:02,840 Speaker 1: brings up to Tea now tea was super popular in 41 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: the colonies. Colonists consumed one point two million pounds of 42 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: tea per year, which is more than half a million kilos. 43 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 1: The imports, however, were controlled exclusively by the British East 44 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,959 Speaker 1: India Company, and the import tax could be increased or 45 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: decreased as necessary by Parliament. One justification that Parliament gave 46 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: for setting up this monopoly and levying these taxes was 47 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: they had to spend money and resources on the French 48 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,120 Speaker 1: and Indian War, which they claimed benefited the colonists, but 49 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: it also benefited Parliament and the British Empire as well. Again, 50 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: a series of events leads up to the Tea Party. 51 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: It's it's not just one isolated event. Laws and acts 52 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,240 Speaker 1: come into play. The seventeen sixty nine Indemnity Act repealed 53 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,200 Speaker 1: the t tax, but then the Townshend Acts restore that tax, 54 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: and then those were repealed in seventeen seventy and then 55 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: in seventeen seventy three we have the Tea Act that 56 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: comes along. Now at this point the people of Boston 57 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: felt unrepresented. There was discontent. The whole population of the 58 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: city was about fifteen thousand, but there had been meetings 59 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: of up to five thousand people to talk about the problems. 60 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,080 Speaker 1: That's a third of the population of the city. And 61 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: on November seventy three, word got out among one of 62 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: these meetings that a shipment of tea was coming in. Now, 63 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: the ships arrived in Boston Harbor and wanted to unload 64 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: their tea, but the colonists particularly didn't want them to 65 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: do that because then they'd have to pay the duty. 66 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 1: And the way it worked is once the tea hit 67 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: the docks and left the boat, that's when the duties 68 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: had to be paid. So folks whose names you may 69 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: have heard if you're familiar with American history, Paul Revere, 70 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,760 Speaker 1: John Hancock, Sam Adams, folks like this and hundred and 71 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: thirteen other Boston townspeople were at the old South Meeting 72 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: House in Boston. Now that's at the corner of Washington 73 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: and Milk Streets today, and the building still stands. You 74 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: can see it. It's directly across from the Irish Famine Memorial. 75 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:50,400 Speaker 1: A little bit of a hubbub grows up in the crowd, 76 00:03:50,680 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: you know, people get a little agitated, and everyone marches 77 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: down to the docks and they dump what today would 78 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 1: be nearly one million dollars worth of tea into the harbor. No, 79 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: this is generally a peaceful protest. There was destruction of 80 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,160 Speaker 1: property obviously, and probably some shouting, some kicking and shoving, 81 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: but nobody was killed. There were no serious attacks. In fact, 82 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: of the one and sixteen people who participated in this act, 83 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: only one was arrested. Now, word of what became known 84 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,359 Speaker 1: as the Boston Tea Party didn't reach England until January 85 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: of seventeen seventy four. The British reacted angrily. They closed 86 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: the port of Boston. They insisted the British East India 87 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,800 Speaker 1: Company be reimbursed for their lost goods. They reinstated the 88 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: Quartering Act, which meant that British soldiers could stay in 89 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:35,719 Speaker 1: the houses of colonists for free. They restricted meetings, and 90 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: they also decreed that British officials who were accused of 91 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: major crimes in the colonies couldn't be tried in the 92 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,280 Speaker 1: colonies that would have to come back to England. So 93 00:04:44,360 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: the Boston Tea Party didn't kick off the American Revolution 94 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 1: per se. It's often shorthanded that way in history classes, 95 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: but the first draft of the Declaration of Independence didn't 96 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: come into existence until about ten months later. But if 97 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: we can agree that a country is a set of 98 00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:01,120 Speaker 1: ideals and goals a there are no real borders on 99 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 1: the ground. It's just a way that people think about 100 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 1: themselves and the groups they belong to and what they value. 101 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: The Boston Tea Party really did codify some of what 102 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,600 Speaker 1: America today believes about itself. If you want to learn 103 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:17,919 Speaker 1: more about the Boston Tea Party, then search for the 104 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: December eighth, two eight episode of our companion podcast, Stuff 105 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: You Missed in History Class that's titled How the Boston 106 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: Tea Party Worked. I'd like to thank Casey Pegram and 107 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: Chandler Maids for their audio work on this show. You 108 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: can subscribe to This Day in History Class or Stuff 109 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:35,600 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class on Apple Podcasts. You can 110 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,159 Speaker 1: find them on the I Heart Radio app, or pretty 111 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: much anywhere else you find your podcasts. Now, please make 112 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: sure to listen to tomorrow's episode when host Tracy V. 113 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: Wilson returns and she will regale you with a history 114 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: behind a certain celebration. Hey, I'm Eves and you're listening 115 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a podcast where we 116 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: bring you a slice of history every day. The day 117 00:06:12,200 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: was December see Chinese general and Lushan proclaimed himself emperor, 118 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: marking the beginning of the and Lushan Rebellion against the 119 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: Tong dynasty. The rebellion resulted in the establishment of the 120 00:06:26,839 --> 00:06:30,599 Speaker 1: short lived Yin dynasty and a devastating number of deaths, 121 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: though the exact toll is difficult to estimate. The Tong 122 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: dynasty came to power in China in six Arts and 123 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: culture flourished in the dynasty, and it has been considered 124 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,799 Speaker 1: a golden age in Chinese history. But in the middle 125 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: of the eighth century, the Tong dynasty was involved in 126 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 1: several wars, so a lot of troops were dying and 127 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: the Tong court was losing money. And Lushan was a 128 00:06:55,600 --> 00:07:00,040 Speaker 1: military commander, likely of Turkic and Sogdian or Iranian de it. 129 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: He gained prominence leading raiding parties against Kitan armies and 130 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: other forces that threatened China. After he was defeated in 131 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: one expedition in the seven thirties, he was disgraced and 132 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: supposed to be executed, but he was just stripped of 133 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: his rank and titles, but they were soon restored. And 134 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: and Lushan proceeded to rise in rank. By seven forty two, 135 00:07:23,080 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: he had become military governor of the province of Penglu 136 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: on the northeastern frontier, and Lucien often went to Chang'an, 137 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: the Tang capital, and he gained the favor of Emperor 138 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: Shuin Song, the emperor's consort Young Guifei, and Chancellor Lee 139 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: li Fu. And and Lushan continued to gain military power. 140 00:07:44,560 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: By seven forty seven he was given the honorary title 141 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: of Chief Deputy Imperial Censor, and by seven fifty one 142 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 1: he was regional military commander of three garrisons in the 143 00:07:54,520 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: north with more than one hundred and fifty thousand troops. 144 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: Because he was in such good favor or with the emperor, 145 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: he avoided a lot of criticism, and he took advantage 146 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: of the Tong dynasty's weaknesses and his good graces with 147 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: the emperor to plan a rebellion. In seven fifty two, 148 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: Chancellor Lee lin Fu, who had gained dictatorial power, died, 149 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:20,520 Speaker 1: Yang Gu Jong, Yang Guifay's cousin, replaced Lee lin Fu 150 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,560 Speaker 1: as chancellor. Conflict broke out between Yang gu Jong and 151 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: and Lushan, and the next few years were marked by 152 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: a power struggle as they tried to establish more military 153 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: power on the frontier and political power in the court. 154 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: At the same time, China was suffering from military defeats 155 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:43,040 Speaker 1: and natural disasters, and Lushan decided to use force. Under 156 00:08:43,080 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: the guise that emperorshian Zong had commanded him to get 157 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: rid of yong Gu Chong and Lucian marched on Luo Yang, 158 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:54,160 Speaker 1: the eastern capital of tang China. Because and Lucian treated 159 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: captured local officials decently, many joined his campaign and his 160 00:08:58,120 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: ranks grew. He captured lu Yang and on December sixteenth, 161 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:05,960 Speaker 1: seven fifty five, and Lushan declared himself emperor in northern 162 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: China and established the rival yin dynasty. He was defeated 163 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:12,800 Speaker 1: by the Tong army in the Battle of yang Chu 164 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: in seven fifty six, but he was more successful at Changan. 165 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: He captured the city and sent the Emperor's southwest into 166 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: exile with his court and household. The Emperor's guards killed 167 00:09:23,840 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: Yang Gujong, whom they blamed for all the conflict, as 168 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 1: well as Yan Guifei. Shun Song abdicated in favor of 169 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:36,079 Speaker 1: the crown Prince Lihang, who was proclaimed Emperor Suzong. Suzong 170 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: appointed generals to deal with the rebellion, and imperial forces 171 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,280 Speaker 1: managed to recapture Chang'an in lu Yang. The rebellion continued, 172 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: but and Lushan was murdered by his son in seven 173 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 1: fifty seven. The rebellion declined as its leaders died in 174 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,800 Speaker 1: soldiers in generals defected to the Tong army. It ended 175 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: in seven sixty three, eight years after it began. The 176 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:02,400 Speaker 1: rebellion lasted through the reign of three Tang emperors. The 177 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: rebellion weekend the centralized bureaucracy of the Tong dynasty, as 178 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: the dynasty pardoned many rebels and allowed some to command 179 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:13,559 Speaker 1: their own garrisons. The Tong government also lost a lot 180 00:10:13,600 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: of control over the Western Regions, a strategically important area 181 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,320 Speaker 1: in Central Asia. The economy and intellectual culture of the 182 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,320 Speaker 1: Tong dynasty also took a hit. The latter half of 183 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,040 Speaker 1: the Tong dynasty was marked by war lordism, and the 184 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: dynasty ended in nine oh seven. A period of political 185 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: turbulence known as the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms followed 186 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: the fall of the Tong dynasty. I'm eves, Jeffcote and 187 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:41,319 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 188 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you have any insight on an 189 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,040 Speaker 1: accident or a pronunciation spoken in the show today, you 190 00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: can feel free to send us a kind note on 191 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: social media at t d I h C Podcast. Our 192 00:10:58,040 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: email address is this day a at i heeartmedia dot com. 193 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. We'll see you again tomorrow with another episode. 194 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,319 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart 195 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 196 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: favorite shows.