[Boston Tea Party News] “Christmas-Box for the Customers of the Pennsylvania Journal"
The Pennsylvania Journal
Artifact IDTL 2026.1.12
Object Type
Temporary Loan
Date
December 24, 1773
Place MadePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Medium
typographic broadside
DimensionsOverall W 8 3/4 in x D 14 in (22.2 cm x 35.6 cm )
Physical DescriptionA single-sheet printed broadside dated December 24, 1773, issued in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The document functions as an extraordinary holiday news supplement, featuring a large, stylized Gothic blackletter headline reading "Christmas-Box / FOR THE CUSTOMERS OF THE / PENNSYLVANIA JOURNAL." Directly below the main title, a centered horizontal bar separates the header from a timestamp line reading "FRIDAY Afternoon 5 o'Clock, Dec. 24, 1773."
The unnamed "Gentleman" and express rider cited in the opening paragraph was printer and silversmith Paul Revere, who had been dispatched by the Boston Committee of Correspondence to carry the news southward. Revere rode over 300 miles, reaching Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, where he delivered eyewitness accounts to the printers of The Pennsylvania Journal, who immediately published this emergency broadside. The next day, the tea ship Polly arrived in Delaware Bay. Emboldened by news of the Boston Tea Party, Philadelphia revolutionaries confronted the captain, successfully convincing him to turn his entire cargo back to London without unloading.
The unnamed "Gentleman" and express rider cited in the opening paragraph was printer and silversmith Paul Revere, who had been dispatched by the Boston Committee of Correspondence to carry the news southward. Revere rode over 300 miles, reaching Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, where he delivered eyewitness accounts to the printers of The Pennsylvania Journal, who immediately published this emergency broadside. The next day, the tea ship Polly arrived in Delaware Bay. Emboldened by news of the Boston Tea Party, Philadelphia revolutionaries confronted the captain, successfully convincing him to turn his entire cargo back to London without unloading.
Historical NoteThis printing is a remarkable survival from 1773 that relayed the news of what happened next in Boston. The first of three tea ships arrived at port on November 28th, followed by the remaining two on December 2nd and 7th. Each week, public protests grew larger and more furious. Bostonians patrolled the ships to prevent the tea from being landed, thus blocking the tax from being paid. They requested that the ships be returned to Britain, which the governor refused to let happen while the tea was still onboard. They asked the agents appointed to receive the tea to resign their posts; these also refused, as two of them were the governor's sons. Throughout, a deadline loomed: pursuant to British customs law, goods that remained on docked vessels 20 days after their arrival would be confiscated by authorities and sold to pay for the import taxes.
Additional DetailsCredit Lineon loan courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Americana Collection
National Archives Catalog CollectionJohn F. Kennedy Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 1676934)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPolitical Memorabilia (National Archives Identifier 1677287)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - FullyUse Restriction NoteThe use of this image and document information is fully restricted. Reproduction in any manner is not allowed.On view