And the Sons of Liberty threw other people's tea in the Boston harbor. They were free to buy tea elsewhere. The state made machine breaking a capital crime. Th

And the Sons of Liberty threw other people's tea in the Boston harbor. They were free to buy tea elsewhere. The state made machine breaking a capital crime. That is, if you break or destroy a machine, you can be executed. Many who were tried and convicted of machine breaking were accused or guilty by association, or literally broke machines, and were executed. States responded with death and contempt, not merely force.