Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the Annapolis Tea Party (October 19, 2024)

The Peggy Stewart 250 Committee will hold a public commemoration at Annapolis City Dock on Saturday, October 19, 2024, to commemorate colonial Maryland’s first major revolutionary event that led to the founding of the United States. The Annapolis Tea Party, also known as the Burning of the Peggy Stewartmarks the moment when colonists in Annapolis formally joined Maryland in rebellion against British tyranny and taxes. A drone show centered on a replica colonial-era brig will provide a living history reenactment beginning at 7 p.m. and can be viewed from locations overlooking Annapolis City Dock.

On October 19, 1774, naval merchant and British loyalist Anthony Stewart was forced to burn his brig to the waterline after colonists discovered he had paid British taxes on tea taken aboard the Peggy Stewart and brought to Annapolis. “Vile weed tea” was a major point of contention between Britain and colonial America, culminating in uprisings such as the infamous Boston Tea Party. An angry group of colonists saw the arrival of tea, along with the payment of British-imposed taxes, as an opportunity to rebel.

“Annapolis became the center of noisy and visible rebellion against Britain,” said Scott Devanny, president of Peggy Stewart 250. “While not all colonists condoned violence, it was clear that people in Maryland were clamoring for independence.”

Devanny leads the committee as a member of the John Paul Jones (JPJ) Chapter of the Maryland Society, Sons of the American Revolution. JPJ is joined on the committee by two related nonprofits: the Peggy Stewart Tea Party (PSTP) Chapter of the Maryland State Society Daughters of the American Revolution and the Maryland Society, Children of the American Revolution. PSTP takes its name from the commemorative event. Each group is dedicated to education, preserving history, and encouraging patriotism.

Related