01x01 - Pilot

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In 1773,

Boston is under the control

Of a distant tyrannical power.

In two months when
that tea is on the docks,

The British will have their boots

Firmly planted on our necks.

We were never going
to change their minds.

What we need to do

Is make up ours.

Against impossible odds,

One man refuses to give in.

I'm not saying it will be easy.

I'm not saying it
won't be dangerous,

But we need to do
whatever it takes.

This started in Boston.

It will end here.

Samuel Adams risks everything

To inspire a movement

And defy an empire.

Is anyone willing to
take a stand for liberty?

But what he doesn't know

Is that he has lit the fuse.

Of course, they planned it.

That sparks a revolution.

Enjoy your freedom while it lasts.

Here we are.

Boston 1773,

On the verge of a revolution

That will turn the
world upside down.

And what gets the ball rolling?

A protest over a tax on tea.

American patriots
will go on to fight

The most powerful empire
in the world and win.

But in the fall of 1773,

That outcome is very far off

And impossible to predict.

My own great-great

Great-great-great-grandfather

Was one of those patriots,

A Hessian soldier commissioned

To fight with the British

Was taken prisoner at
the battle of Trenton.

Switched sides and went onto
fight for the American cause.

One of countless stories
that make-up the tapestry

Of our nation's rich past.

So I'm thrilled to
be sharing with you

The inspiring story of
the midnight mission

That started it all:
The Boston tea party.

Sit back with a beer
or maybe a cup of tea

As tensions with the
British are simmering.

At the centre of the fray,

Is a brave and brilliant
patriot named Samuel Adams.

One of those guys,
we all know the type,

Who just will not back
down no matter what.

For years Boston has been
the most dangerous city

In the 13 colonies.

Boston really was an unruly place.

Mainly dock workers,
longshoreman, ship workers.

Gangs fight each
other to control the streets.

Boston was known for
having neighbourhood gangs,

Namely the south end g*ng
and the north end g*ng.

Eighteenth century Colonial
towns are pretty rough places.

But one man has
helped to unite the two gangs.

His name is Samuel Adams.

A 51-year-old Harvard graduate

Who inherited a beer
business from his father.

But after failing
as a businessman,

He found his true
calling in politics.

His passion has brought the
factions of Boston together

To stand against a common enemy.

The British,

Whose parliament passes laws

And collects taxes as they please.

Parliament says,
"we're parliament.

"You all are British subjects.

"You're going to pay these taxes

"that British subjects
at home already pay."

It shouldn't surprise us that

Working-class people in Boston,

Sailors, dock workers,
were feeling the squeeze

Of the acts of parliament.

The American colonists were
not directly represented.

They had no say over any taxes

That parliament might try
to impose on the colonists.

As the British tightened
their grip on the colonies,

Some in Boston rise up.

Unlike the other large
settlements in North America,

Philadelphia, new
york, Charleston,

Boston had this
feeling that if the

Government was getting
too tyrannical,

It was actually a
good thing to resist.

It's not like the Boston tea
party comes out of the blue.

Boston had been a hot
bed of radicalism.

Tax collectors getting
tarred and feathered.

Some of them were just
ready for a fight,

And Sam Adams has
connections that he was

Able to galvanise
some of that energy.

Samuel Adams,

Together with a
growing resistance,

Have defied the
Crown at every turn,

And now the British
are striking back.

I like a good cup of tea

As much as the next
man, I suppose,

But we have such a healthy supply

Of a clearly superior alternative.

Even though Samuel Adams

Is a legitimate political leader,

He's willing to give up everything

To end British oppression.

Adams writes hundreds of articles

Each pushing the
people to take a stand.

Samuel Adams' main
weapon as a politician

Was newspaper essays,

And he wrote under a
variety of pseudonyms.

Samuel isn't really
interested in business.

He's interested in politics,

And he is able to talk to anyone.

He's able to talk to the
longshoreman, the dock workers,

As well as to
members of the elite.

Sam Adams is engaged
actively in politics.

He's elected to the Massachusetts
house of representatives.

He's also in touch
with the local mobs,

The guys who know how to

Get local roughnecks together

And do whatever needs to be done.

Samuel is also a prominent member

Of an underground movement
known as the Sons of Liberty.

Sons of Liberty were a group

Of like-minded
Bostonians originally,

Who wanted to oppose
the British empire,

Particularly on the
issue of taxation.

The Sons of Liberty starts out

As a kind of catchall
term for people

Who wanted to resist the
acts of parliament, right;

People who were defending
American interests,

People who were standing
up for American rights.

Samuel works
with the Sons of Liberty

To stay one step
ahead of the British.

Receiving information from
an underground network,

He gets word that ships
have departed from London

Carrying over 250 tonnes of tea.

Good job.

Another round for my friends.

Good day, gentlemen.

In the fall of 1773,

Adams learnt that the British

Were putting into motion
their new tea act,

And four of several ships
are coming to Boston.

The way the tea act worked

The British East India company

Could ship its tea across
cross the Atlantic,

And then would sell it wholesale

Within the four
major American ports:

Charleston, Philadelphia,
New York, and Boston.

This tea isn't just tea.

It represents much more.

It comes bearing a new tax,

And if it's collected,

Samuel Adams knows it
will set a precedent

Allowing the British to
tax the colonies at will.

These shipments are
on their way to Boston,

And if those shipment's
landed, the fear was,

That once the tea was there,
it would inevitable be sold,

And the duty on it would be paid.

And so, this would be giving up

This important principle of,

"no taxation without
representation."

once the tea comes off the boats,

The tea act will
have had its effect,

And there will be nothing
he can do about it.

Samuel knows he must stop the tea,

And hopes to persuade the
house of representatives

To back him.

But many powerful Bostonians

Are determined to stay in
the King's good graces,

Like judge Timothy Ruggles.

Therefore, I would
preach caution and decorum.

Of course, we can
continue to make our case

Before the King and parliament,

But to do so we must do so...

Forgive me, Mr Ruggles.

But while you're up
there pontificating,

About minding our manners,

There are British ships
bound for Boston as we speak

Carrying thousands
of pounds of tea.

Don't be a fool.

Our petitions are
nothing more than lining

For the royal bird cage.

We were never going
to change their minds.

What we need to do
is make up ours.

Is anyone willing to
take a stand for liberty?

For autonomy?

For the people?

I appreciate your
passion, Mr Adams,

But our hands are tied.

No.

No, yours may be tied,

But I stand ready
to do what I must...

You know as well as I do
that governor Hutchinson

Doesn't take his orders from us.

Well, then we demand
his resignation.

Be reasonable, Mr Adams.

And we demand the
resignation of all tea agents.

And you, you make it very
clear to the Crown that

We will never accept one
single leaf of their tea.

There were elements of the

Massachusetts house
of representatives

Who felt that Samuel
Adams was too radical.

So Samuel Adams is by no
means universally beloved.

There are definitely
people who want to take

A more moderate or
even conservative line

In Massachusetts at the time.

If this body will not take
action, the people will.

If this body will not take
action, the people will.

Even Samuel's
younger cousin, John Adams,

Thinks his beliefs
are too extreme.

John Adams is much less
well known at the time.

He is a very moral and thoughtful

And ideological young lawyer,

So, while they share the
same political positions,

Their modes of action
are quite different.

John Adams was a lawyer.

He sees the virtues of
moderate forms of government.

He is committed to the
rights of new Englanders,

But he is not thought
of as a street leader

In way that Samuel Adams is.

It didn't go as
well as you planned.

Well, it might have gone better

If you'd offered some
words of support.

You demand the
governor's resignation.

He's not going anywhere, Samuel.

I thought you were on our side.

I share your frustration
and your concern,

But I do think you
might be overreacting.

In two months when
that tea is on the docks,

The British will have
their boots firmly planted

In our necks.

I am not overreacting.

I'm resisting before
it's too late, John.

Let's talk about tea
for a moment, shall we?

At the time, everyone's
drinking it every day,

Men, women, children, both
in Britain and the colonies.

When the British parliament
passes the tea act in 1773,

They're hoping to use
the popularity of the tea

To their political advantage.

Here's the deal.

The new law gives the powerful
British East India company

A monopoly on the
Colonial tea trade.

If you're a tea drinker in

Boston, Philadelphia,
or Charleston,

And all you hear about is
getting a good quality tea,

You might think this is fine.

Except the British sneak
in a tax on the tea

To try to prove, once
again, that they can tax

The Americans all
the way from London

Without their consent.

They've been doing this for years.

Taxing paper, stamps, lead,
paint, glass, you name it,

And if the Sons of Liberty
don't draw the line now,

They might never
get another chance.

With the Massachusetts
house of representatives

Showing him no support

And even his own
cousin doubting him,

Samuel Adams knows
he has to turn to

A member of the Sons of
Liberty, John Hancock.

John Hancock is one of the
wealthiest men in Boston,

If not in all of new England.

The tea act has Hancock

Worried about his bottom line.

While he's a prominent merchant

And a well-respected
member of society,

Hancock is also a smuggler.

Gentlemen, excuse me
what is going on here?

I am the owner of this warehouse.

There must be some
sort of mistake.

There's no mistake.

Hancock has increased his fortune

Smuggling goods like
wine and tea into Boston.

Every once in a while, you
had to evade custom's officers,

Bribe them, intimidate
them, one way or another,

In order to get business done

In the places you
wanted to do business.

As I said, there's been a mistake.

John Hancock knows the tea act

Is a threat to his
smuggling business

And his livelihood.

Both smugglers and
legitimate merchants in tea

Had reasons to fear
what the tea acts

And acts like it might do.

Well?

This is going to be
very bad for business.

To say nothing of liberty.

Now,

When it comes to the house...

The house? We don't need them.

We can organise
enough public pressure

To turn the ships back,

To force resignations.

I'm not saying it will be easy.

I'm not saying it
won't be dangerous,

But, John, we need to
do whatever it takes.

And how much do you suppose

Whatever it takes will cost me?

Not less than what it
will cost you in two months.

What you're talking
about is akin to treason.

It may be.

I'm going to need
to think about this.

Samuel Adams had not
had a successful life

In terms of money.

He's not a wealthy
merchant like John Hancock.

What he does is something
at which he excels:

Organising a revolution.

If you're in, meet me tomorrow.

The green dragon half past two.

Good day, John.

For John Hancock,

The decision to join
Samuel Adams' resistance

Is not one he takes lightly.

He could lose his whole fortune

If things don't go their way,

And he knows who
they're up against.

Opposing Samuel Adams

Is the most powerful
man in Massachusetts,

A man with deep
roots in the colony:

Governor Thomas Hutchinson.

Unlike past governors,

Whose salaries were paid
by the Massachusetts house,

Hutchinson receives his salary

Directly from the British Crown.

Thomas Hutchinson's
family had been

In Massachusetts as
long as the Adams has.

When he's appointed governor,

He takes his duties
very seriously,

And so over time he becomes
more and more of an enemy

To the people in Boston,
to the Sons of Liberty

Who are trying to resist
the acts of parliament.

For men like Samuel Adams,

Thomas Hutchinson
was a corrupt man

Driven by ambition seeking favours

From the British government.

And for his loyal
service to the Crown,

The tea act is his reward.

The tea act creates a monopoly

For legal tea imported to America

For the East India company.

It allows the East India company

To provide tea to Americans

At a cheaper price,

But it reinvokes this principle
that Americans are subjects

To taxes imposed on
them by parliament.

Only tea agents can
make money from the tea,

And Hutchinson appointed
the tea agents.

If you got the job
of being an agent

For the British
East India company,

That meant you were one of the

Half dozen or fewer
people in your town

Who were getting
all the legal tea.

And this was a very
lucrative position

Because everybody wanted tea,

And you were the guy.

Hutchinson makes
sure to choose agents

That would make
him a lot of money.

And in Boston this
looks particularly ugly,

Because one of the firms was

Two of governor Hutchinson's sons.

Very good.

Send him in.

Along with his sons,

He appoints close friend
Richard Clark as tea agent.

Richard, so good to see you again.

My pleasure as always, governor.

Well, you must be
tired after your travels.

Come, sit.

Have some tea.

So, I trust your time in
London was productive?

Oh, very much so.

Did you have an
audience with His Majesty?

Sadly, no,

But we were able to spend a
good deal of time hunting with

Lord north in Oxfordshire.

Is the Prime Minister well?

I trust you gave him my regard?

Of course, and he sent
his best to you as well.

He did however express
some concern over

The growing sentiment
against the tea act.

He did?

And I must say upon my
arrival back in Boston,

It does seem as if public
sentiment had shifted somewhat.

Richard, please, you
are too intelligent

To fall prey to a few loud voices

Raising a racket in Boston.

The common citizens
of Massachusetts,

Frankly, they're either too busy

Or too ignorant to notice.

Rebellions without
rebels are little

More than a nuisance
to be ignored.

As much as I want
that too be true,

What I've been hearing is...

What you're hearing is
what they want you to hear,

Exaggeration and lies,

While I am stating
to you the facts.

But,

If you truly have reservations
about moving forward,

There are many others who
would welcome the opportunity.

No reservations, governor.

I'm so glad we had
this little chat.

Thomas Hutchinson
was a politician,

Who believed in
the British empire,

As an empire of liberty,

That guaranteed the
rights of the colonists,

And, therefore,
needed to be protected

Even if it meant
stepping on the toes

Of quite a few colonists.

Hutchinson's going to wait and see

What the radicals are going to do.

Samuel Adams calls a
meeting to set a plan in motion

To defeat governor Hutchinson
and foil the tea act.

The Sons of Liberty would
often meet in taverns.

In Boston, you might meet
at the green dragon tavern

In order to coordinate
political action.

Hello, gentlemen.

He invites John Hancock

And three major figures
in the Sons of Liberty.

Samuel Adams never works alone.

He is generally working in groups

Of other like-minded
patriot leaders.

I don't suppose I need to tell you

Why I've asked you all here today.

There is Paul
Revere, the messenger.

Paul Revere is not an
elite leader by any means.

He's this middle-class guy.

He's a silversmith.

He's an engraver.

He acts as a courier.

Revere would often
travel across the colony.

Delivering secret messages
for the Sons of Liberty.

Sometimes putting his
freedom and life in jeopardy.

Paul Revere was so deeply
involved in the movement

And had been involved in
the movement for many years,

People trusted him with
these important messages.

Revere's dedication to the cause

No matter the cost,

Earns him a top spot in
Samuel Adams inner circle.

Also attending the meeting

Is Dr Joseph Warren, the scribe.

Samuel Adams was very
good at recognising talent,

And recruiting people
into the cause.

And Joseph Warren is someone

Whose talent he sees immediately,

And sees how Warren is
really a skilful writer.

He was in many ways a
protege of Samuel Adams.

Dr Warren's life was transformed

Three years earlier on
a March night in 1770.

When a protest spirals
out of control.

British red coats open
fire on an unarmed crowd

k*lling five civilians.

The tragedy will become
known as the Boston m*ssacre.

And it changes Warren forever.

It's okay.

You'll be fine.

Bearing witness to the

British army's
heartless brutality,

Radicalises the young doctor.

You just be still.

Warren, he sees then the real

Physical effects
of British policy.

And so, it does make him wary
of people who use brute force.

And finally,

There's William
Molineux, the muscle.

William Molineux
was probably the most

Radical of the leaders
of the Sons of Liberty.

Always the one pushing things
as far as things could go

And not afraid to use violence.

A merchant and smuggler,

Irish-born William Molineux,

Isn't afraid to get
his hands dirty.

Eight years earlier

In August of 1765,

He personally led a mob

To governor Hutchinson's mansion

In protest over
another British tax

Called the stamp act.

Let's burn it down.

And burned it to the ground.

With his team assembled,

Dr Warren to write the message,

Paul Revere to deliver it,

Hancock to fund it,

And William Molineux
to enforce it,

Samuel reveals his plan.

We invite Hutchinson tea agents,

In friendly conversation,

About colonists' rights.

We explain to them
that if they resign,

The tea cannot be delivered,

And they'll be heroes.

They'll reap the rewards
of a grateful colony,

Instead of the ill-gotten
gains of a tyrannical Crown.

And you suspect that they'll
actually show their faces?

We must give them the chance.

Our first salvo should
be an olive branch,

And I know just the man to do it.

I'll print the
invitations up directly.

Meet me at Hancock's
warehouse to pick them up.

I look forward to it.

Mr Molineux,

I trust that you'll do your
best to avoid any incidents?

Well, it's certainly my intention.

A simple, of course, would
have my mind at greater ease.

You have my word, John.

Gentlemen.

Why do I feel like
I've just been lied to?

Molineux is a man of his word.

Molineux is a man of the moment.

Sam, if something
were to go wrong,

There's no telling
what would happen here.

Nothing will go wrong.

He's delivering invitations,

And when the tea
agents resign publicly,

This crisis will be a memory.

See you tomorrow.

Samuel Adams is very good
at working behind the scenes.

He knows what he's doing.

He's organising a conspiracy
to overthrow British rule.

Under cover of night,

Molineux and his men
go out to deliver

The invitations to the tea agents,

Including governor
Hutchinson's sons,

Along with Richard Clark.

With the invitations delivered,

The next day Samuel Adams
waits for the tea agents,

But not a single
tea agent shows up.

Samuel Adams' plan
to resolve the crisis

Through political
dialogue has failed.

With only a month left
before the tea arrives,

Adams needs to ratchet
up the pressure.

Because if he can get
the tea agents to resign,

The tea will be sent
back to England.

"Okay, you're going to try
and tax us without our consent.

"We're going to
pressure the consignees.

"We're going to
pressure the governors.

"We're going to force these
tea ships to turn around

"with their tea still aboard
and go back to London."

And so, Boston is really
feeling a lot of pressure.

As their tea ships began
approaching Boston Harbour,

They're feeling a lot
of pressure to make sure

That they are not going
to allow this tea to land.

There was a great deal
of tension in Boston.

Molineux returns
back to the Clark's house

To secure the tea
agents' resignations

No matter what it takes.

Richard and Jonathan Clark,

The people would have a word,

And if you won't come out,

Then we'll have no choice
but to let ourselves in.

Grab our muskets
before we're dead.

Go.

Get back. I'm warning you.

I will sh**t.

We are warning you, sir?

Things are heating up in
Boston, to put it mildly.

On one side we have governor
Hutchinson and the tea agents,

On the other the Sons of
Liberty and their supporters.

A total stand-off.

It's also about to become
a race against the clock.

The tea ships are
sailing from London.

If the tea is unloaded and taxed,

The British will have won,

By proving that they
can tax the Americans

Without their say.

Over the next three
episodes, keep this in mind.

Absolutely nothing
is set in stone.

Every move the Sons of Liberty
make is a tremendous gamble,

But what they have is
a willingness to fight

And an unwavering
belief in their cause.