Boston Tea Party: What Laws Really Do in Society

Leading up to the late 18th century, Colonial America had been running and watched over by Great Britain. Even though they were two separate continents, America was deemed as Britain’s property, and everyone living in Colonial America was expected, and some could say forced, to follow the law of Britain. Some laws seemed so ridiculous and restrictive, such as taxes on imported goods like tea, that it caused mass uprisings from different groups. One example of this rebellion would be The Boston Tea Party. Taking place in, as written, Boston, December 1773, a few men had something to prove to the British. “Three teams of men dressed like Mohawk Indians silently boarded three British ships, carefully opened hundreds of crates of tea, dumped the tea leaves into the water, and claimed the act in the name of the Sons of Liberty.” They wanted the British to know that no matter how tough and powerful Britain is, the colonists will fight back for their own rights.

With this act of defiance and many more, the revolutionary war was sparked. The revolutionary war officially started in 1775, with General George Washington, a brave yet strict man, as the leader of the Continental Army. The thirteen colonies were low on fighters, so allies were formed, putting France and Spain at Americas aid. Fighting Britain was surely intimidating. Besides the large numbers of men in Britain’s forces, the soldiers were very put together. “The British Soldier’s distinctive red coat, which gave him his nickname, was made of wool broadcloth […] Soldiers used a mixture of lard and candle wax to grease their hair before powdering.” Great Britain, paired with Germany, was a tough force, but not an unbeatable one.

“Independence was declared on July 4, 1776. Declaring independence and getting it were not, however, the same.” From the moment of declaring independence to actually seizing independence in 1783, war was a tough road. After the events of the Revolutionary War, peace was expected by the new Americans. In contrast, it was anything but peaceful. New rules had to be made. New laws for every citizen to abide by had to constructed. The only problem resulting from this is that not everyone agrees. One of the larger controversies, leading to more corruption and hate, was slavery. “South Carolina had more slaves than free people, and Virginia’s slaves made up about 40% of its total population. Serious money was invested in human property, and not many owners were willing to part with their investments. […] If the North and the South were to stay part of the same nation, they would have to compromise on slavery.”

As far as slavery went, it was going to be the end of a nation that just began. Finding compromise on an issue that meant so much to some and so little to others did not seem plausible.

By showing how laws make people act radically, I state this question: If laws will create disruptive behavior, why keep them? If rules make the same amount of chaos that would occur without them, then why force everyone to follow them?

We make laws to serve as guidelines for what is acceptable in our society. Unfortunately, the way the law is being enforced is seen as what is unacceptable. It is considered to certain people as unjust and unequal. The law is not fair because, it is not executed constitutionally, there is prejudice against people of color and justice comes with a price.

First, law means the Judicial system and not just the constitution. The law treats people unfairly in both the way it is carried out and enforced by the government and other law officials. According to the website www.washingtonpost.com, “unsettling research in the psychology of courtroom decisions has shown that our personal background, unconscious biases about race, gender and appearance, and even time of day play a more important role in outcomes than the actual law”. People will like to believe that the decisions made in courts are based on the constitution and fair-mind of the judges and juries, but in reality, people’s weight, color, gender, wealth, differences and even the time of day determine the result of court case, who go to prison and who walks free. And for this reason, people conclude that the law is not executed constitutionally and equally.

Secondly, the way laws are being enforced allows people to reason that laws made to protect them does not produce an intended result. An article on Newsela recorded, “according to the result of a survey released by Harvard university, young people believe the justice system is not fair to people of certain color”. Young people in the article, think that the law is racist and not fair to people of color. According to the article the survey says, people want change in the system and not just talk. So, the people believe the law does not judge fairly and doesn’t protect them in any way.

Additionally, justice at the hand of the law, has always come with a price. A lady’s statement according to www.cbsnew.com, “it was like having to give up my life for my freedom. And that’s what i had to choose in the end, I had to give up so many years in order to get the point of freedom”. This lady spent years on her case, lost her job and home, she believes she did not get her justice the way it should have come or at the price. Thus, people are at the expense of losing their lives or freedom for justice they ultimately deserve.

The law is not fair because the constitution is not followed, race affects decisions and Justice is not free. Many people do not accept the way the laws are used, they consider it unreasonable.