The story behind the Boston Tea Party - Ben Labaree

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

Translator: Elda Indria Sari Reviewer: Reno Kanti Riananda

Kamu mungkin pernah mendengar tentang Pesta Teh Boston,

You've probably heard of the Boston Tea Party,

something about a bunch of angry colonists

tentang sekelompok kolonis gusar berpakaian seperti penduduk asli Amerika

dressed as Native Americans

throwing chests of tea into the water.

membuang peti berisi teh ke dalam air.

But the story is far more complicated,

Namun kisahnya jauh lebih rumit,

filled with imperial intrigue,

dipenuhi intrik kerajaan,

corporate crisis,

krisis perusahaan,

smuggling,

penyelundupan,

and the grassroots origins of the American Revolution.

dan asal mula gerakan akar rumput Revolusi Amerika.

The first thing you need to know about tea in the 1700's

Hal pertama yang perlu kamu ketahui, teh pada tahun 1700-an

is that it was really, really popular.

amat sangat populer.

In England, each man, woman, and child

Di Inggris, tiap pria, wanita, dan anak-anak

consumed almost 300 cups of this stuff every year.

mengonsumsi hampir 300 cangkir teh setiap tahun.

Dan, karena bangsa Inggris menjajah Amerika,

And, since the English colonized America,

Americans were crazy about tea too.

orang Amerika juga tergila-gila dengan teh.

By the 1760's, they were drinking

Pada tahun 1760-an, mereka minum lebih dari satu juta pon teh setiap tahun.

over a million pounds of tea every year.

So, when Britain wanted to increase taxes

Jadi, ketika Inggris ingin menaikkan pajak teh di Amerika,

on tea in America,

people were not happy,

orang-orang tidak senang,

mostly because they had no say in tax decisions

terutama karena keputusan ini dibuat sepihak di London.

made in London.

Remember that famous phrase,

Ingat ungkapan terkenal ini,

"No taxation without representation"?

"Tak ada pajak tanpa perwakilan rakyat"?

The American colonists had long believed

Kolonis Amerika sejak lama meyakini

that they were not subject to taxes imposed by legislature

bahwa mereka tak bisa dikenai pajak oleh badan legislatif

in which they lacked representation.

yang tak mewakili mereka.

In fact, rather than paying the taxes,

Justru, alih-alih membayar pajak,

they simply dodged the tax collectors.

mereka malah menghindari pemungut pajak.

Since the east coast of America is hundreds of miles long

Karena pesisir timur Amerika panjangnya ratusan mil

and British enforcement was lax,

dan penegakan hukum Inggris lemah,

about 3/4 of the tea Americans were drinking

sekitar 3/4 teh yang diminum oleh orang Amerika

was smuggled in, usually from Holland.

adalah teh selundupan, biasanya dari Belanda.

But the British insisted that Parliament

Namun Inggris bersikeras bahwa Parlemen

did have the authority to tax the colonists,

berhak mengenakan pajak pada para kolonis,

especially after Britain went deeply into debt

apalagi setelah Inggris terlilit hutang

fighting the French in the Seven Years' War.

akibat Perang Tujuh Tahun dengan Prancis.

To close the budget gap,

Untuk menutup kesenjangan anggaran, London melirik Amerika,

London looked to Americans,

and in 1767 imposed new taxes on a variety of imports,

dan menetapkan pajak baru untuk beragam impor pada tahun 1767,

including the American's beloved tea.

termasuk teh kegemaran Amerika.

America's response: no thanks!

Amerika menjawab: tidak, terima kasih!

They boycotted the importation of tea from Britain,

Mereka memboikot impor teh dari Inggris,

and instead, brewed their own.

dan menanam teh sendiri.

After a new bunch of British customs commissioners

Setelah sekelompok Komisaris bea cukai Inggris

cried to London for troops to help with tax enforcement,

meminta bantuan pasukan dari London untuk menarik pajak,

things got so heated

suasana menjadi panas

that the Red Coats fired on a mob in Boston,

hingga militer Inggris menembaki massa di Boston,

killing several people,

in what was soon called the Boston Massacre.

menewaskan sejumlah orang,

yang kemudian dikenal sebagai Pembantaian Boston.

Out of the terms of the 1773 Tea Act,

Lewat Undang-Undang Teh tahun 1773,

Parliament cooked up a new strategy.

Parlemen menyusun strategi baru.

Now the East India Company would sell the surplus tea

Kini Perusahaan Hindia Timur akan menjual kelebihan teh

directly through hand-picked consignees in America.

langsung ke penerima terpilih di Amerika.

This would lower the price to consumers,

Ini akan menurunkan harga ke konsumen,

making British tea competitive with the smuggled variety

membuat teh Inggris bersaing dengan teh selundupan

while retaining some of the taxes.

dan sekaligus menarik pajak.

But the colonists saw through the British ploy

Namun kolonis menyadari muslihat Inggris dan berseru, "Monopoli!"

and cried, "Monopoly!"

Now it's a cold and rainy December 16, 1773.

Saat itu tanggal 16 Desember 1773 yang dingin dan hujan.

About 5,000 Bostonians are crowded

Sekitar 5.000 warga Boston berkumpul di Gedung Pertemuan Old South,

into the Old South Meeting House,

waiting to hear whether new shipments of tea

menanti kabar apakah kiriman teh baru

that have arrived down the harbor

yang telah tiba di pelabuhan

will be unloaded for sale.

akan diturunkan untuk dijual.

When the captain of one of those ships reported

Ketika kapten kapal itu melaporkan

that he could not leave with his cargo on board,

bahwa ia tak bisa pergi dengan kargo di atas kapal,

Sam Adams rose to shout,

Sam Adams bangkit dan berseru,

"This meeting can do no more to save the country!"

"Pertemuan ini sudah tak bisa menyelamatkan negara ini!"

Cries of "Boston Harbor a teapot tonight!"

Seruan "Jadikan Pelabuhan Boston teko teh malam ini!"

rang out from the crowd,

terdengar dari kerumunan,

and about 50 men,

some apparently dressed as Native Americans,

dan sekitar 50 pria,

beberapa berpakaian seperti penduduk asli Amerika,

marched down to Griffin's Wharf,

bergerak menuju Griffin's Wharf,

stormed aboard three ships,

menyerbu tiga kapal,

and threw 340 tea chests overboard.

dan membuang 340 peti teh ke laut.

An infuriated British government responsded

Pemerintah Inggris yang marah membalas

with the so-called Coercive Acts of 1774,

dengan Tindakan Koersif 1774,

which, among other things,

antara lain,

closed the port of Boston until the locals compensated

menutup pelabuhan Boston sampai warga mengganti rugi

the East India Company for the tea.

Perusahaan Hindia Timur untuk tehnya.

That never happened.

Yang tak pernah terjadi.

Representatives of the colonies

Para perwakilan kolonis

gathered at Philadelphia to consider

berkumpul di Philadelphia guna mempertimbangkan

how best to respond to continued British oppression.

respons terbaik atas tekanan Inggris.

This first Continental Congress supported destruction of the tea,

Kongres Kontinental pertama ini mendukung penghancuran teh,

pledged to support a continued boycott,

berjanji mendukung boikot yang tengah berlangsung,

and went home in late October 1774

dan berakhir pada Oktober 1774

even more united in their determination

dengan keyakinan yang makin kuat

to protect their rights and liberties.

untuk melindungi hak dan kebebasan mereka.

The Boston Tea Party began a chain reaction

Pesta Teh Boston memulai reaksi berantai

that led with little pause

yang berujung pada sedikit tertundanya Deklarasi Kemerdekaan

to the Declaration of Independence

and a bloody rebellion,

dan pemberontakan berdarah,

after which the new nation was free to drink its tea,

di mana setelahnya bangsa yang baru bebas untuk minum teh,

more or less, in peace.

kurang lebih, dengan tenteram.