The brigantine Peggy Stewart arrived in Annapolis, Maryland on Friday, October 14, 1774, laden with more than a ton of tea. The owners of the ship were Anthony Stewart and his father-in-law James Dick. The tax for the tea was quickly paid by Stewart, in violation of a non–importation agreement amongst local merchants. This was not the first time that Stewart and Dick paid a tax on imported British goods. The Anne Arundel County Committee decided that the tea should not be landed and called for a public meeting to determine the final fate of the cargo on Wednesday October 19, 1774.   Although the majority of the people at the meeting voted against violent measures, the minority members were determined to burn both the ship and the tea. Stewart finally consented to burn his own ship out of fear for his own life and concern that the mob might also burn his house. The burning of the Peggy Stewart was a seminal event in both Maryland’s and the colonies’ history prior to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. The following quote is from a letter written by Charles Yardley Turner read at the occasion of the unveiling of his painting.

In the center panel is Charles Carroll of Carrollton and Dr. Warfield "leader of the mob". In the left panel wearing the white shirt sleeves is Anthony Stewart.  The right panel portrays a group of citizens near Anthony Stewart's mansion.

In the mural painting , "The Burning of the Peggy Stewart," my purpose was to express the protest upon the part of Maryland's citizens against the oppression of the mother country. The burning vessel has been used as the symbol and outward manifestation of this protests against "taxation without representation."

The Burning of the Peggy Stewart & Religious Toleration in Maryland: Mural Decorations in the Baltimore Courthouse, Baltimore: The Muncipal Art Society of Baltimore, 1905