Boston Tea Party ‘bill’ demanding £1.2 million in damages unveiled at UK National Archives

A UK exhibition marking the birth of the United States features a compensation claim for the 340 chests of tea destroyed during the famous 1773 “Boston Tea Party.” The document, sent by the cargo's owner, the East India Company, to the British government, breaks down the losses from the December 16 incident. It demands £9,659 in reimbursement, roughly £1.2 million ($1.6 million) today—after what it describes as a "lawless rabble" boarded the ships and dumped the tea into the harbour.

This letter is part of Revolution 250, an exhibition of original maps, correspondence, and first-hand accounts opening at the UK's National Archives in southwest London. The launch coincides with the upcoming 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Other major highlights include a handwritten 1781 letter signed by George Washington, America's first president, accepting the British surrender at Yorktown—the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War. Curator Sean Cunningham noted that this was the pivotal moment Britain realised it had to relinquish the Thirteen Colonies and accept the reality of the independence declaration drafted five years prior.

Visitors can also view a rare first printing of the 1776 Declaration of Independence by Philadelphia publisher John Dunlap. This foundational text stated that the 13 colonies would no longer recognise British rule, establishing the sovereign nation whose independence is celebrated every July 4th. Additionally, the display includes the 1775 Olive Branch Petition, a final, failed diplomatic attempt by the future Founding Fathers to avoid war with King George III.

Beyond mainstream political history, Cunningham emphasised that the exhibition highlights voices often left out of traditional narratives, including indigenous peoples, Black Loyalists, and enslaved individuals. Among these lesser-known documents is the 1775 Dunmore Proclamation, which offered freedom to enslaved people who fought for the British military, illustrating how deeply intertwined the war was with the institution of slavery.

According to Cunningham, these combined records provide a more complex and enlightening perspective on the Revolution, demonstrating that its consequences extended far beyond the boundaries of the Thirteen Colonies.