The Role Of Native Americans In The Boston Tea Party Of 1773

Indians were a symbol of resistance and independence because of their long past of fighting against assimilation and colonialism imposed upon them through settlers. This resistance was shown through their resilience in fighting at all costs to protect their land and keep their way of life. The Battle of Wounded knee and Custer’s last stand are examples of resistances led by Native Americans. Its easy to see why the Indians became an inspiration for Americans in the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The colonists were tired of the tax imposed on them by the British, so they dressed up as Indians and painted their faces, and dumped cargo off of a British ship into the harbor for three hours. This is a paradox because originally, whites wanted to get
However, this changed the minute whites began to paint their faces black. African Americans then became a muse for whites who were using black faces to make fun of and ridicule black culture in minstrel shows. Roediger argues the blacking up of the participants showed a declaration of whiteness and white supremacy(104). This is true, the participants were white people, and to reiterate, the shows were made to make fun of African Americans by appropriating their culture. Not to mention that these performers were making a large amount of profit by hosting and performing in these shows. The paradox is seen here because although African Americans were consistently seen as inferior, their culture was used as a form of entertainment and as a way for whites to make their own revenue. When put into context, whites were able to get out of the show, and remove their “black faces” and go back to their whiteness. While on the other hand, this was not the case for black people, they couldn’t just go home to remove their blackface like whites. The shows demonstrated white supremacy by making fun of African Americans, but at the end of the day, it was the whites that were trying to be ‘black’ for the day and not the other way
This sentiment seemed to follow them into the United States. They were not seen as white people and they were not included in whiteness even though, they shared the same skin color as whites. The Irish were often compared to African Americans because they were viewed as wild and bestial. As Roediger states, “Irish catholics were not more desirable than blacks as citizens of the republic(144). This constant comparison to blacks and harassment created an anti-black sentiment, which lead to grave consequences. This was seen through the example of New York, when the Irish went against African Americans by harassing them and trying to burn them and their homes down. Immediately this reiterated the stereotype of the Irish being savages that can’t control their emotions. There are two interesting paradoxes within this group, the first being that although they are technically white, they are unable to claim whiteness and white privilege. It isn’t until the Irish are accepted, that they are allowed to identify with the white race and use their whiteness to their own benefit. The other is the fact that they would harass African Americans, even though they knew what it was like to be a minority, and not be accepted through their own experiences as immigrants in the United states. They ended up exercising their whiteness by becoming exactly like those who would harass them for being