The Boston Massacre
On March 5, 1770, colonists were taunting a British sentry outside the Customs House. This was common for a day in colonized America. However, this day was more meaningful than any other before. The British sentry retaliated causing a considerable mob of colonists to get involved. Then some more British came to aid their comrade. Amid the chaos, the British fired their muskets into the crowd killing five and injuring three. This would later be referred to as the Boston Massacre. A lack of discipline by the British Soldiers prompted the Boston Massacre.
British presence in America became increasingly unwelcome during the 1700’s. The regime repeatedly became more authoritarian and deprived the colonists of their freedom. When the British made their way into Massachusetts in October of 1768, colonists were enraged. Years of major battles with France left England in need of money. The imperial government called for heavy taxes which were used only for the benefit of Great Britain itself. These taxes included housing British soldiers ("British Reforms and Colonial Resistance, 1767-1772 - American Memory Timeline- Classroom Presentation | Teacher Resources - Library of Congress"). There was absolutely no Democracy at the time. Regulars would abuse their power to intimidate and control the wrath of the colonists.
The Americans would not allow themselves to live under harsh rule without any kind of resistance. Nonviolent means of diplomacy were demonstrated to give themselves freedom. After all, one does not start a violent revolution without asking for a chance to be heard. As expected, the British did not listen. Colonists turned toward protest. Protest eventually turned to action. Action led to bloodshed ("P...
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...ite, Private John Carroll, Private William Warren, Private William McCauley, and Private James Hartigan were all acquitted (DiCanio et al.).
Although no one involved in the Boston Massacre was found guilty of murder, firing at unarmed civilians is never acceptable. The Americans had a right to protest and demonstrate against the British rule. When they were ignored, they had no choice but to go further because no one wants to live in slavery. The British soldiers had a choice not to shoot. If they can’t handle the stress of making tactical decisions, they shouldn’t be in a situation where they may have to go into combat. Hitting the colonists in the face with the butt of their rifle could have been acceptable. There was no warning of shooting either. Captain Preston could have fired a warning shot, which would have probably gotten everybody to stop and listen.
Before the Boston Massacre even occurred, tensions were high in the city of Boston between the Bostonians and the British. At this time people were just getting over the Stamp Act and were now angered by the new taxes also known as the Townshend Duties. This new tax caused Bostonians to become more aggressive causing the British to send more soldiers to impose the laws of Parliament and to restore order among the people. The arrival of more soldiers only caused more of an uproar between the people of Boston and the red coats. Bostonians went out of their way to harass British soldiers whenever they got the chance, but on March 5, 1770 both sides acted unacceptably resulting in the Boston Massacre (84-85).
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines massacre as “the act or an instance of killing a number of usually helpless or unresisting human beings under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty” or “a cruel or wanton murder” (m-w.com). Essentially a massacre results in either the death of many people or death by cruel means. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, in Boston, Massachusetts and involved American colonists and British troops. The colonists, upset by recent laws enacted by the British, taunted a smaller group of British soldiers by throwing snowballs at them (Boston Massacre Historical Society). In response, the soldiers fired upon the unarmed colonists leaving five people dead and six wounded (Phelan, 131). Even though the event in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which blood was shed, and called the Boston Massacre, the actions which took place on that day did not constitute a massacre. Since only five people were killed and six wounded and there was no evidence of cruelty, the name Boston Massacre was likely a propaganda ploy by Samuel Adams to rally the colonists against the British instead of a true massacre.
The Boston Massacre occurred in the evening of March 5, 1770. A crowd of people began harassing the soldiers. One event lead to another and the crowd began hurling snowballs and rocks. One of the snowballs stuck a soldier and he fired his weapon causing a series of shots toward the crowd. “...the frightened soldiers fired into the crowd.” (Doc 3). As a result of this incident, three people were killed on the scene and two were mortally wounded. The soldiers were also ordered not to fire. The colonists did not think that they should have been shot at or killed, this infuriated them. This event was said to have started the American Revolution. This leads to the British seizing power over the
On March 5th, 1770 the colonists were going to protest against the British rule because they were being unfair to the colonists, with taxes being passed without the colonists’ approval. The proclamation of 1763 didn’t help stopping people from settling across the Appalachian mountains even though people fought for it. Also each house had to house and feed a soldier. Many other taxes on different items also caused colonists to be angry. Many started to protest one of these protests had the colonists in front of government building with weapons the British soldiers then fired killing five and injuring others. There was not a massacre on March 5, 1770 in Boston because there was not a massacre on March 5, 1770 in Boston because less than ten colonists
The Bloody Massacre in King Street was what we know today as the Boston Massacre of 1770 on March 5th. It was a nightmarish night for the American mob who opposed the British Army. Five colonist died that night sadly and 4 were critically wounded. This event was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Some say this was just a collection of anger released by both sides as a result of the Townshend Act.
The Boston Massacre is considered by many historians to be the first battle of the Revolutionary War. The fatal incident happened on March 5 of 1770. The massacre resulted in the death of five colonists. British troops in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were there to stop demonstrations against the Townshend Acts and keep order, but instead they provoked outrage. The British soldiers and citizens brawled in streets and fought in bars. “The citizens viewed the British soldiers as potential oppressors, competitors for jobs, and a treat to social mores'; (Mahin 1). A defiant anti-British fever was lingering among the townspeople.
On March 5, 1770 a fight broke out in the streets of Boston, Massachusetts between a patriot mob and British soldiers. Citizens attacked a squad of soldiers by throwing snowballs, stones and sticks. British Army soldiers in turn killed five civilians and injured six others. The presence of British troops had been stationed in Boston, the capital of Province of Massachusetts Bay since 17681. The British existence was increasingly unwelcome. The British troops were sent to Boston in order to protect and support the crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation.
By the 1760's many Americans were beginning to become dissatisfied with their mother nation and were waging a war of resistance against the British colonial government.
The Boston Massacre discusses the most important events that turned the colonial sentiment against the" King George III and the British acts and taxes." The showdown between the British and the local people was not simply a war of words "blood was shed over the class of ideals." Davidson, James Wheeler. Experience History: Who was to blame for the Boston Massacre? 1st Ed Vol .1.McGraw-Hill, 2011.150-153 print.
The Boston Massacre was and is still a debatable Massacre. The event occurred on March 5, 1776. It involved the rope workers of the colonial Boston and two British regiments, the twenty-ninth and the fourteenth regiments. Eleven people were shot in the incident; five people were killed and the other six were merely wounded. The soldiers and the captain, Thomas Preston, were all put on trial. All were acquitted of charges of murder, however the two soldiers who fired first, Private Mathew Killroy, and Private William Montgomery, the two soldiers were guilty of manslaughter. The causes were numerous for this event. There had been a nation wide long-term dislike towards the British, and a growing hatred towards them by the people of Boston. Even before the two regiments were sent in to monitor Boston there was a growing feud before the two sides.
In March of 1770, during a time in which tensions were high between the British and the Colonists, five colonists were shot by British Soldiers in Boston. This was known as the Boston Massacre in the colonies, and it sparked incredible rage in the hearts of the colonists. In Great Britain, meanwhile, it was known as the Incident on King Street, and was just another worrisome action of the colonies. It all began when a British soldier was called into question about whether he paid for his new wig or if he hadn’t. The situation devolved into a fight very quickly, and a crowd gathered. It began to grow as both sides summoned reinforcements. A huge, angry mob of people began to taunt and jeer at the British, throwing things at them and yelling
On March 5, 1770, an event occurred in Boston, which consisted of British troops shooting upon colonists. People refer to this as a massacre, but they only look at one side of the story. The Boston Massacre in 1770 was not really a massacre, but a mutual riot (Boston Massacre History Society). British soldiers went to America to keep the people of Boston in order. However, the soldier's presence there was not welcomed by the Bostonians and this made things worse (Boston Massacre History Society). The British had to fire their guns because the Bostonians were antagonizing the soldiers, which caused five people to die. The Bostonians made the soldiers feel threatened so in turn they acted in self-defense. The British soldiers and their Captain had to go through a trial, to prove they were not to blame for what had occurred.
On the day of March 5, 1770, British soldiers opened fire on a group of colonists in boston, killing five men, including Crispus Attucks, Samuel Maverick, Patrick Carr, Samuel Gray, and James Caldwell. This event would soon be known as the Boston massacre. There were many factors that led to this shooting, most from the colonists of Boston, who were provoking the soldiers by attacking them and throwing objects at the soldiers, and also could have made the British troops to panic by closing in on them.
The Boston Massacre was one the most controversial massacre in American history that teased the coming of the American Revolution. People were taunting a British soldier who was standing “in front of the Boston Custom House” who got very frustrated to the point where he hit somebody. The soldier got overwhelmed by people who came after he hit one of them, called help from his fellow soldiers. When Captain Preston and his soldiers arrived at the scene, people were coming from everywhere, some were trying to fight them and some were just there to watch. Then, one of the soldier shot at the people and his fellow soldiers started shooting after, which killed five people. This what ended it up being called the Boston Massacre. Some might say that the murderer were the soldiers who shot the people, but the real murderer is
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.