George Hewes and the Boston Tea Party: A Revolutionary Life

Introduction: Who Was George Robert Twelves Hewes?

George Robert Twelves Hewes was a remarkable figure of the American Revolutionary period, born in Boston on September 5, 1742. The environment in which he lived underwent many transformations throughout his lifetime, and Hewes experienced profound inward transformations as well. His life can be defined by several significant events that he personally witnessed and participated in — events that also proved to be defining moments in American history.

Hewes worked as a shoemaker in colonial Boston, a trade that placed him near the bottom of the financial and social ladder of the day. Yet this ordinary man found himself at the center of two of the most consequential episodes of the pre-Revolutionary era: the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Boston Tea Party of 1773. His experiences during these events moved him from a simple craftsman to an active participant in the colonial resistance movement, and his recollections would later play an unexpected role in shaping how Americans remembered and understood the Revolution.

One incident that transformed Hewes as a person was undoubtedly the Boston Massacre in 1770. During this period, the city was occupied by a large concentration of British troops stationed in Boston to enforce and collect tax obligations from the colonies. Tensions between the approximately 4,000 British soldiers and a town of only about 16,000 citizens ran high. Hewes himself had a personal grievance: he had made shoes for a soldier who claimed they were for a captain and then refused to pay for them.

The Boston Massacre and Hewes's Political Awakening

The situation escalated when a local barber's apprentice attempted to collect an overdue bill from a British officer, leading to a confrontation on the street. A crowd gathered, violence broke out, and five civilians were killed. George was in the middle of it, and he personally knew four of the victims. The event was later referred to in the press as the Boston Massacre.

These experiences led George to become more politically involved. After the massacre, he thought of himself as a member of the opposition. He was among the ninety-nine colonists who gave depositions to the prosecution against the soldiers for the acts of violence he had witnessed. George was even invited to attend the trial and testified against the captain who had commanded the soldiers that day. These events helped shape Hewes and move him from a simple shoemaker to something far more engaged.

The next major event in which Hewes participated was even more radical and has since been recorded as a defining moment in history. The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16, 1773. As a volunteer, Hewes became a leader in a carefully planned scheme organized by the Whig party of Boston. At the time, England had imposed a series of taxes on the colonies, including a tax on imported tea. The group targeted three ships harbored at Griffin's Wharf and, in the darkness of night, approached the vessels dressed as American Indians.

The Boston Tea Party and a Sense of Belonging

The group moved silently through the streets with the plan to dump the tea into the harbor in protest of the taxes. Hewes later told his story to James Hawkes, who recorded his biography: "I fell in with many who were dressed, equipped and painted as I was, and who fell in with me and marched to the place of our destination" (Young, 2000). At this time George would have been about thirty-one years old, married, and operating his own shoe business — yet his trade still placed him near the bottom of the social hierarchy.

The people who orchestrated the Tea Party were a mixture of tradesmen and citizens from a wide variety of backgrounds. Hewes even stated that he thought he recognized John Hancock himself among those who tossed the tea together. Whatever the case, George experienced something of an epiphany during the proceedings. He noted that he fell in with the group as they marched, and that they fell in with him as well. It is reasonable to believe that Hewes found a genuine sense of belonging and purpose as he associated with like-minded individuals during the Tea Party.

One significant incident stands out from the events of that night. Hewes recognized an individual known as Captain O'Connor, whom he witnessed stealing tea and hiding it under his coat rather than dumping it into the harbor. At the sight of this, the two argued and Hewes tore off the man's coat. This moment illustrates just how deeply Hewes was committed to the movement. The events of the Tea Party set the tone for George and for many others who shared his ambitions and convictions. This is a particularly interesting aspect of the Revolution's story, because the movement was fostered from the bottom up rather than from the top down. The same ideas that led Hewes to the Tea Party eventually contributed to the principle enshrined in the founding documents of the United States: that all men are created equal.

Throughout history, the press and historians have successfully shaped the telling of events for the purpose of furthering their own views. This is especially true during the colonial period, regarding the events which eventually manifested into the American Revolution. In this era, most information about public events was passed along primarily through word of mouth. Hewes's recollections were passed down in his own interpretation, and his accounts of the dumping of the tea contributed to a renewed appreciation for how significant that act was for the United States. However, stories about Hewes were also shaped in ways that altered the perspectives of others.

Conclusion: History, Spin, and the Common Man

After reading Young's book, one can draw comparisons to modern history and the degree of spin that remains present in public discourse. Yet dissecting history from multiple perspectives offers a broader and more comprehensive picture of what actually happened. George Robert Twelves Hewes — shoemaker, witness, participant, and symbol — reminds us that revolutionary change is often driven not by the powerful few but by ordinary people who find themselves at the hinge of history.

Young, A. The Shoemaker and the Tea Party. Beacon Press, 2000.