Essay Question:

How did the Boston Tea Party contribute to the causes of the American Revolution?

Task: Outline the main argument you will develop in your essay in your introduction. Consider the significance of the Boston Tea Party in the wider context of colonial protests against British policies.

Point: Colonists believed British taxes and tariffs, like the Tea Act, violated their rights.

Evidence:

'The Tea Act of 1773 was seen as an unfair tax imposed without colonial representation.' Provenance: Colonial pamphlet, 1773.

Point: The Boston Tea Party was a symbolic act of defiance against British authority.

Evidence:

'Colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians destroyed the tea as a statement of protest.' Provenance: Newspaper report, 1773.

Counter-argument: Some historians argue that other factors, like the Stamp Act or the Intolerable Acts, played a more significant role than the Boston Tea Party.

Evidence:

'The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts, further united colonists against Britain.' Provenance: Historical analysis, 1774.