Yesterday was the 240th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. On December 16th, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty movement destroyed the entire supply of tea transported by the East India Trading Company. The shipments were in breach of an American boycott of tea that had been taxed by the British Parliament without American authorisation. The aggressive response of the British is seen by many as directly causing the start of the American Revolutionary War. The episode was the most famous expression of the colony’s demand that there be ‘no taxation without representation’. Often seen as a pivotal historical moment, for America and in general, the Boston Tea Party is held up by many as an inspirational response to illegitimate government.

Here is the first part of a documentary on the Boston Tea Party: