This iconic 1846 lithograph by Nathaniel Currier was entitled The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor; the phrase “Boston Tea Party” had not yet become standard. Contrary to Currier’s depiction, few of the men dumping the tea were actually disguised as Native Americans.

Last week we celebrated the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. December 16, 1773, Patriots, dressed as Mohawk Warriors, boarded the ships Dartmouth, Beaver and Eleanor, promptly went to the hold, grabbing 340 chests filled with tea and without hesitation tossed them into Boston Harbor. This set off the revolutionary war. Many of those valiant men were members of the Sons of Liberty.