Boston re-enacts the Boston Tea Party during event’s 250th anniversary

BOSTON (WBZ) – Thousands of people gathered in Boston Saturday to commemorate the event that was to become the start of the American Revolution.

The Boston Tea Party was a protest that took place 250 years ago and sparked the beginning of a new nation.

The protest took place on Dec. 16, 1773 as an act of defiance after the passing of the Tea Act by the British parliament, which granted the East India Trading Company a monopoly on tea sales in the American colonies.

Protesters responded to the act by pouring the company’s tea into the Boston Harbor.

Two and a half centuries later, the City of Boston celebrated the protest and its place in American history.

The day consisted of re-enactments, history lessons and a reminder of what protests can accomplish. Most of the events were organized by educational programming group, Revolutionary Spaces.

“We’re going to see folks like Samuel Adams and John Hancock, talking to folks like Francis Roche about whether or not the tea can or will be unloaded and what to do about it,” Matthew Wilding, with Revolutionary Spaces, said.

The day’s final events included a march from the meeting house to the Boston Harbor.

For local families in Boston, with lives rooted in the history, the anniversary felt even more special.

“We had a blast family event we planned for a long time because we knew it would be really exciting, and the events were so well orchestrated it was just a hoot,” Boston resident Gary Gregory said.