Annapolis Burns Tea Ship: Colonies Defy British Rule
Anthony Stewart sailed the brigantine Peggy Stewart into Annapolis harbor in October 1773 carrying 2,320 pounds of taxed British tea. When a crowd of angry Marylanders learned of the cargo, they gathered at the harbor and demanded the tea be destroyed. Stewart, fearing for his family's safety, agreed to burn not just the tea but his entire ship. On October 14, he personally set fire to the Peggy Stewart as hundreds of colonists watched from the shore. The burning was Maryland's answer to the Boston Tea Party and proved that resistance to the Tea Act had spread far beyond New England. The incident helped galvanize the southern colonies' commitment to the growing independence movement and ensured Maryland sent delegates to the First Continental Congress.
October 14, 1773
253 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 14
Pope Callixtus I was thrown down a well by a mob in Trastevere. He'd been pope for five years and had enemies — he'd allowed Christians who'd committed adultery…
William of Normandy's army of roughly 7,000 men, including cavalry and archers, faced Harold II's English force of similar size on Senlac Hill near Hastings on …
William the Conqueror's army met King Harold's forces at Hastings on October 14th, 1066. Harold had just marched 250 miles from defeating Vikings in the north. …
Robert the Bruce caught Edward II's English army strung out along a narrow pass at Byland Abbey in Yorkshire on October 14, 1322, and routed them so thoroughly …
Radu cel Frumos — Radu the Handsome — issued a writ from Bucharest in 1465. It's the first official document mentioning Bucharest as a residence of a Wallachian…
October 5th was Thursday. October 15th was Friday. The ten days between didn't happen. Pope Gregory XIII's calendar reform deleted them to realign Easter with t…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.