The Bostonians Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring and Feathering

The drawing depicts a number of Boston citizens forcing tea down the throat of a royal taxman whom they had tarred and feathered. The man being forced to drink was John Malcomb, Boston's very unpopular commissioner of customs. The tea, tar and feathers represent their payment to the taxman in protest against the taxes passed by Parliament and Parliament's efforts to collect these taxes. This cartoon is a satire of the Bostonians who are forcing their views on and engaging in illegal behaviors against a helpless royal official. The Bostonians seem to be enjoying what they are doing under their infamous Liberty Tree. Look for other parts of the cartoon that satires the Bostonians and their attitudes.