Essay on What Really Happened in the Boston Massacre?

The movie, “John Adams” was very different from the article describing the Boston Massacre. First off, in the movie it shows just John Adams representing the soldiers but in reality Josiah Quincy was on the defense. Quincy’s older brother Samuel was the leader of the prosecution. In the movie all of the soldiers and Captain Preston were tried together, but in the article Preston was judged separately from his soldiers. This is a big difference because in real life he could have been innocent or guilty and his men not.

The third and most obvious reason the British are to blame for the massacre is that the British soldiers fired into the crowd. When Hugh Montgomery was knocked down by a chunk of ice, he stood up and fired into the crowd (Aron 24). The other soldiers soon fired as well. The gunfire killed five people. Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, and James Caldwell died at the scene. Samuel Maverick died a few hours later, while Patrick Carr survived for nine days before dying of his wounds (Olson). Samuel Gray was killed by a single ball entering his head, Crispus Attucks was killed by two balls entering his chest, and James Caldwell was killed by two balls entering his back (“Boston”). Benjamin Frizell, who was standing near the west corner of the Custom House before and at the time of the gun discharges, declared that the first discharge was of only one gun, the second discharge was of two guns, the third discharge was of three guns, immediately followed by the fourth and final discharge of five guns (“Boston”). He also declared that of the final discharge, two were from soldiers on the ground on Preston’s right side, but three discharges came from the balcony, or the chamber window, as the flashes appeared on the left side of Preston, and higher than the flashes of the other two discharges. This information shows that at least three soldiers were on the balcony and carefully took aim and

On March 5, 1770 in Boston, the large mob of Bostonians tormented Captain Thomas Preston’s soldiers, who were watching the Customs House Building. One of the soldiers fired at the Bostonians, which resulted in the rest of the soldiers firing at the Bostonians. Someone from the crowd screamed for the soldiers to fire. This caused five of the Bostonians, including Crispus Attucks, who were shot by Preston’s men. Captain Preston’s men were put on trial, and were charged with the murder of the five Bostonians.

In the story "John Adams and the Coming of the Revolution”, author David McCullough discusses how John Adams was asked to defend the British soldiers in court of the soldier’s accusation of man slaughter, following the Boston Massacre. Being such a problematic case that could ruin his reputation, John Adams accepted to defend the soldiers because of his experience in difficult cases, and his strong principles and beliefs. John Adam’s reputation did not even tarnish because of how skillfully he handled the case gaining the respect of the people of Boston.

This article has tons of information about what happened that day. It is a very useful source because his words and feelings were common with his neighbors who were angry at the troops too. Through his voice, one can hear the cries and complaints of the townspeople of Boston. However, this is only one side of the story and putting all the faults on the British troops for firing doesn’t seem very convincing.

William Wyatt and Captain Thomas Preston had very different accounts on what happened at the Boston Massacre. Wyatt said that he was in Boston, when he heard the bells ring, which usually indicated that there is a fire. He ran up too the Town-house, where he saw soldiers and their officer, who was telling them to load their guns and then proceeded to tell the soldiers to fire. When they did not fire, he told them to fire again, until someone did and after everyone fired and killed townspeople, the officer yelled "Damn ye, rascals, what did ye fire for?" Wyatt also mentioned that the towns people did not throw anything at the soldiers.

During the night of March 5, 1770, colonists gathered outside the Boston Customs House. As the crowd grew bigger, colonists started to throw “snowballs, oyster shells, and chunks of ice” at the soldiers. The soldiers panicked and fired at the colonists causing the death of five colonists and ten injured men. I believe that the cause of the Boston Massacre was due to the British. The reason why I blame the British is because, the British soldiers could have handled the situation, made unnecessary actions, and made the colonists angry with taxes and the Quartering act.

In the novel, Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party and the Making of America, the author Benjamin L. Carp gives an incredibly in-depth description of the events of the Boston tea party. In the Introduction, Carp argues that the “party” was not a singular event, but rather a catalyst for the impending Revolution. He presents each chapter as a new aspect of the event while offering primary sources, letters, newspapers, and magazines as compelling evidence. Each chapter is focused on a very specific topic and perfectly leads to the next. Carp gives the reader a concise layout of context, causes, proceedings, and the aftermath of this rebellious show of resolve and determination. By giving the reader the political and cultural

In the painting, Revere gives unique and detailed facial expressions to each of his characters. The citizens have an expression of horror and fear and the British Red Coats seem to wear a sadistic smile. The appalled and panic-stricken faces of the civilians amplify the sense of evil and further condemns the soldiers. These ruthless smiles convey to the audience that the soldiers delight in inflicting pain on the public and would gladly repeat the offense. However, the innocence of the civilians displayed by the painting is deceiving. US History.org states, “In the heat of the confusing melee, the British fired without Captain Thomas Preston's command.” This means that the rioting people of Boston created such chaos, that it threatened the soldiers, who then acted in self-defense. Even though, “The British officer in charge, Capt. Thomas Preston, was arrested for manslaughter, along with eight of his men; all were later acquitted,” states History.com. This reveals another untruth within the painting because Captain

The Boston Massacre was an important event in U.S. history, that lead to the American

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.     

As things heated up in court, more and more British soldiers arrived in Boston. They did this to bring peace to Boston but it did not do that it all. It did the exact opposite and caused even more chaos. And as chaos spread

To deeply understand that what is Boston Massacre is all about, it is necessary to critically analyze the causes and effects of the incident of Boston Massacre. Boston Massacre is considered as one of the decisive incidents in the history of America. The act of Boston Massacre happened on March 5, 1770. This incident was known as the act of massacre because it causes the brutal killing of five American men due to the fight between British soldiers and the American

“Between the hours of nine and ten o’clock, being in my master’s house, was alarmed by the cry of fire, I ran down as far as the town-house, and then heard that the soldiers and the inhabitants were fighting in the alley… I then left them and went to King street. I then saw a party of soldiers loading their muskets about the Custom house door, after which they all shouldered. I heard some of the inhabitants cry out, “heave no snow balls”, others cried “they dare not fire”. The Boston massacre has been no massacre it was propaganda. The incident that happened March 5th, 1770 in the streets of Boston only killed five people and had six people with non fatal injuries. There were

The Boston Massacre was an extremely important event in American History. Also, it a very controversial topic. To this day, no one can really give an accurate description of the events that transpired. The Boston Massacre was not a random event at all; many actions led up to the massacre. As a result of this disaster, America was changed forever and sent on a road towards revolution. The Boston Massacre was a defining moment in American history.