The story behind the Boston Tea Party - Ben Labaree

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough Reviewer: Bedirhan Cinar

譯者: Daphne Chou 審譯者: Yu Hsin Lu

You've probably heard of the Boston Tea Party,

你大概聽過波士頓茶黨事件

something about a bunch of angry colonists

一群憤怒的殖民者

dressed as Native Americans

裝扮成美國原住民

throwing chests of tea into the water.

把數箱茶葉倒入海裡

But the story is far more complicated,

事實上 故事還更複雜

filled with imperial intrigue,

充斥著帝國陰謀論

corporate crisis,

企業危機

smuggling,

走私

and the grassroots origins of the American Revolution.

和美國革命最根本的起源

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

首先 你必須了解 茶葉在18世紀所扮演的角色

is that it was really, really popular.

當時茶葉可說是非常受歡迎。

In England, each man, woman, and child

在英格蘭 每個男人、女人及小孩

consumed almost 300 cups of this stuff every year.

每年喝掉近300杯茶

And, since the English colonized America,

由於美國是英國的殖民地

Americans were crazy about tea too.

美國人對茶也有著相同的狂熱

By the 1760's, they were drinking

美國人在1760 年代

over a million pounds of tea every year.

每年喝掉超過一百萬磅的茶

So, when Britain wanted to increase taxes

所以當英國人想提高

on tea in America,

美國的茶葉稅

people were not happy,

人們自然不高興

mostly because they had no say in tax decisions

多半是因為他們在倫敦

made in London.

沒有決定稅務的權利

Remember that famous phrase,

還記得那句有名的口號

"No taxation without representation"?

「無代表，不納稅」?

The American colonists had long believed

美國殖民者長久以來一直相信

that they were not subject to taxes imposed by legislature

他們不應被課稅

in which they lacked representation.

因為他們在國會並沒有代表

In fact, rather than paying the taxes,

實際上，他們不但沒有繳稅

they simply dodged the tax collectors.

更躲避收稅人員的查緝

Since the east coast of America is hundreds of miles long

畢竟美國東岸離英國幾百英里遠

and British enforcement was lax,

英國執法又馬虎

about 3/4 of the tea Americans were drinking

當時美國約四分之三的茶都是

was smuggled in, usually from Holland.

從荷蘭走私來的

But the British insisted that Parliament

然而 英國仍堅持

did have the authority to tax the colonists,

國會有向殖民地課稅的權利

especially after Britain went deeply into debt

特別是英法七年戰爭後 英國面臨巨債

fighting the French in the Seven Years' War.

英國更是變本加厲地向美國徵稅

To close the budget gap,

為了減少預算缺口

London looked to Americans,

倫敦把目標轉向美國人

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

在1767年 英國在美國新增各種税

including the American's beloved tea.

包括對美國人熱愛的茶葉課稅

America's response: no thanks!

美國的回應則是: 不，謝了!

They boycotted the importation of tea from Britain,

他們杯葛英國茶進口

and instead, brewed their own.

反之 栽種美國本土的茶

After a new bunch of British customs commissioners

在英國海關稅務員向倫敦要求

cried to London for troops to help with tax enforcement,

派遣軍隊赴美徵收稅賦

things got so heated

局勢變得白熱化

that the Red Coats fired on a mob in Boston,

紅衣軍向波士頓的暴民開火

killing several people,

殺死了幾個人

in what was soon called the Boston Massacre.

這也就是所謂的波士頓大屠殺

Out of the terms of the 1773 Tea Act,

在1773年的茶葉法

Parliament cooked up a new strategy.

英國國會想出一個新的策略

Now the East India Company would sell the surplus tea

東印度公司將剩餘的茶葉

directly through hand-picked consignees in America.

直接賣給欽點的美國承銷商。

This would lower the price to consumers,

這不僅降低茶葉的價格

making British tea competitive with the smuggled variety

讓英國茶和走私茶得以競爭

while retaining some of the taxes.

也同時保持部分稅收

But the colonists saw through the British ploy

但殖民者看出英國的伎倆

and cried, "Monopoly!"

怒斥 : 「壟斷!」

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

1773年 濕冷的12月16日

About 5,000 Bostonians are crowded

大約5000名波士頓人聚集在

into the Old South Meeting House,

老南聚會所

waiting to hear whether new shipments of tea

等著看抵達港口的

that have arrived down the harbor

新一批茶葉

will be unloaded for sale.

是否會卸貨販賣

When the captain of one of those ships reported

當其中一艘船的船長宣布

that he could not leave with his cargo on board,

他不能把船上的貨物放置不管

Sam Adams rose to shout,

塞繆爾亞當斯大喊

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

「這個集會已經無法拯救這個國家了!」

Cries of "Boston Harbor a teapot tonight!"

「今晚波士顿港要變成茶壺了!」

rang out from the crowd,

一群人大高聲嚷嚷著

and about 50 men,

約50名男子

some apparently dressed as Native Americans,

喬裝成美國原住民的模樣

marched down to Griffin's Wharf,

朝格林芬碼頭前進

stormed aboard three ships,

衝到三艘船上

and threw 340 tea chests overboard.

將340箱茶葉倒入海裡

An infuriated British government responsded

憤怒的英國政府

with the so-called Coercive Acts of 1774,

在1774年頒布强制法案

which, among other things,

以及其他相關法案 回擊美國

closed the port of Boston until the locals compensated

宣布關閉波士頓港 直到當地居民

the East India Company for the tea.

補償東印度公司的損失

That never happened.

當然根本沒補償

Representatives of the colonies

殖民地的代表

gathered at Philadelphia to consider

集聚在費城

how best to respond to continued British oppression.

思考如何回應英國的壓迫

This first Continental Congress supported destruction of the tea,

第一次大陸會議支持銷毀茶葉

pledged to support a continued boycott,

誓言繼續支持杯葛

and went home in late October 1774

1774年10月下旬 代表們返家後

even more united in their determination

團結的意志更是堅定

to protect their rights and liberties.

決心捍衛他們的權利和自由

The Boston Tea Party began a chain reaction

波士頓茶黨事件帶來的連鎖效應

that led with little pause

馬上就促成了

to the Declaration of Independence

美國獨立宣言

and a bloody rebellion,

和血腥反叛

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

此後人們開始自由且和平地

more or less, in peace.

享用茶飲