The Chester Town Tea Party

Amanda Wetherby was nine years old in May of 1774, when the people of Chester Town, Maryland, as a sign of their support of the people of Boston, voted not to buy, sell, or use tea. At the supper table one evening, talk turned to the unfair tax Britain had levied on the colonists and what that had to do with the shipload of tea aboard the Geddes in the harbor. Amanda was very unhappy not to have tea to drink with meals. The next day, her brother, George, swaggered off to a “tea party just for men.” Hot, thirsty, and tired of pulling weeds in the garden, Amanda decided she would go too, and get some of that tea to wash down the dust. And if the party is for men only—why, she would dress as a boy! So Amanda becomes part of an event that is still celebrated each May in modern Chestertown. Early reader–ages 5-8.