Why was tea so valuable in 1773?!
Why was tea so valuable in 1773?
Answers:
Nobody was growing Tea except the Chinese and Indians (of India).
Giant 3 and 4 masted sailing ships would leave England and take 21 months to sail to China and back, going around the Cape Of Good Hope, Africa. Cape Horn of South America was too dangerous.
http://www.tea.co.uk/index.php?pgid=97... (sailing times)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/clipper... (clipper history)
Then of course, tea drinking was a major habit of EVERYONE at that time. And it was heavily taxed by the English government.
So the colonists dressed up like American Indians and threw the tea in the Boston Harbour to protest "taxation without representation" at the Boston Tea Party.
December 16, 1773
Look at the website I provided, I don't want to take up 12 inches of space like some people here.
Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/boston_tea_...
WOW, that was a good question! I learned a lot!!!
because tea was only grown in limited places, and by very few people. the cost of transportation to the wealthier purchasing countries would have been expensive and added to the price as it had such a long way to travel...
because of the shipping costs. they had the ships and the tea concession. them that has, gets.
Supply and Demand
Society places value of commodities for various complex reasons. For example diamonds and gold are not that rare anymore---with modern mining technology we can get so much more of the stuff out of the earth, but we place high value on these things, even though they really shouldn't cost as much.
But as soon as you devalue the price, then demand goes down as well becuase of the loss in perceived value.
In 1773 the only source of tea was china, it wasn't being grown in Ceylon yet at that time. The trade was complicated the Chinese would only sell tea for silver. For years the British traders looked for something other than silver that would be acceptable. Then the British discovered the Chinese would trade tea for opium. Opium was grown in British territory. Tea was very delicate also, It was shipped in special crates. The holds and bilges of the Clipper ships had to be made wholesome and clean prior to shipment. This involved cleaning and painting. Each ship only made one voyage out and back per year. All of this contributed to making tea expensive and sought after.