COLLEGE STATION, Texas — The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) La Villita Chapter will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party with an educational table and “Toss the Tea” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Fellowship Hall, 906 George Bush Drive in College Station.
The presentation will be followed by the organization's regular meeting at 7 p.m.
"As America approaches the 250th birthday of our nation, learning about the Dec. 16, 1773, Boston Tea Party provides insight into the culture and mindset of patriots in many colonies leading up to the American Revolution," Jane Cohen, La Villita DAR America 250 Committee Chair, said through a Tuesday morning news release. “Tossing the Tea was a protest by the colonists on their major complaint that the British Parliament implemented tax on tea with no representation or right to vote by the colonists."
The Boston Tea Party was an political and mercantile protest that occurred Dec. 16, 1773, by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. The protestor's target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, that allowed the British East India Company to sell tea from China within the colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts. The Sons of Liberty resented the taxes in the as a violation of their rights. In response, the group, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, by throwing the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor.
Throughout the U.S. are celebrations for its semiquincentennial anniversary — the commemoration period began in 2020, culminates on July 4, 2026, and officially concludes in 2027.
"The La Villita DAR America 250 Committee promotes DAR’s involvement to maximize visibility with exceptional community involvement, positive public relations and membership growth. Our ancestors were patriots for the birth of the United States, and we will be active in celebrating America's Semiquincentennial," Cohen said through the same news release. "Members honor their patriots and create interest in who they were and enthusiasm for what they accomplished. Members make a significant impact in the community by installing, re-discovering, restoring, and re-dedicating Revolutionary War-related monuments, plaques, gravesites, and other memorials in our area. We want to honor all Patriots of the American Revolution and recruit DAR members along the way! "
Cohen added that their members sent loose tea leaves to the Boston Tea Party Museum to join in “Toss the Tea” which will be held Saturday and "to honor the sacrifices of our patriot ancestors."
"America has the liberty to join with others in the ceremonial “Toss the Tea” as a sign of solidarity with those patriot ancestors. "Toss tea" into the "sea" and enjoy a chocolate candy, symbolizing the patriot's replacement of tea with chocolate," Cohen said, adding that the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission plans a commemoration of U.S. history driven by local interests.
"History, like detective work, requires us to evaluate all available perspectives and update our understanding as new evidence comes to light. Americans among the majority that values deep, thoughtful history can voice their desire for a commemoration grounded in that approach."
