Was the Boston Tea Party an Act of Terrorism?

Boston Tea Party (Library of Congress)

The Boston Tea Party is one of the most celebrated moments of American history. One December night in 1773, a hundred and fifty American colonists marched down to the Boston Harbor and, rather than pay taxes on tea shipments to a country that would not permit them representation in Parliament, dumped the entire cargo overboard. The Tea Party also could be considered an act of terrorism: an act of sabotage by a non-state actor (a group called the Sons of Liberty) designed, by its symbolism, to draw attention to a political cause.

Today, there is probably not much practical use arguing whether the Tea Party is terrorism or not. But the thought exercise, in a week when many Americans will be thinking back to the founding moments of our own democracy, is a great reminder of the malleability of the definition of "terrorism." Frequently, historically, charges of terrorism define points of conflict over who has the legitimate use of force. Two hundred and so many years ago, one version of this conflict was between the British crown and American Patriots.