Why did the Boston Tea Party participants dress as Indians?
Many accounts of the Boston Tea Party portray colonists dressed in full feather headdresses and leather hides as they marched to Griffin’s Warf to dump the tea into the Harbor. However, when compared with a few reminiscences of the event, it is clear this was not the case. Destroying the tea was an act of treason; as a result many men did disguise themselves as Indians to hide their identity. According to accounts, a group of men disguised as Indians arrived at Old South Meeting then preceded to Griffin’s Wharf to dump the tea into the harbor. (Some indicate that men were dressed as Mohawks, while other reports state that they were dressed as Narragansett Indians.) Many accounts mention that “war whoops” were heard from the participants throughout the evening. “The body meeting in the Forenoon adjourned until afternoon. Broke up at Dark—Severall things passed between Mr. Rotch and Them. A number of people appearing in Indian Dresses went on board the three ships…” –From the diary John
