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Travis Glenn
May 29, 2014
Writing/Social Studies
Bloody Murder at the Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a very harsh time in the American Revolution. Great Britain sent guards to Boston, to enforce the different Tax Acts.The Bostonians were fed up with the British guards and their taxes. In response to the taxes the Bostonians were enraged and one day they formed a big mob after several angry words were exchanged. The Redcoats became annoyed with the harassment of the Bostonians, so they fired into the mob. When the mob cleared there were dead and wounded Patriots on the ground.
British Guards Sent to Enforce Taxes
The British guards were sent to Boston to enforce the different Tax Acts. In 1765, Redcoats were sent to Boston to get housed under the new Quartering Act. The Quartering Act forced the Bostonians to house all the British soldiers and give them supplies. Initially the Redcoats were in Boston to enforce the Stamp Act. However, the Act was repealed. The parliament of Great Britain was upset and wanted control of Boston. As a result, Parliament made a new A...
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.
What started out as a simple snowball fight was turned into a huge catastrophic dilemma. A few colonists started to throw snowballs at a group of Patriots. However, as more and more people joined in on the bullying, things like sticks, rocks, and bricks were being lunged at them. The Patriots then fired at the group, killing some. The press exaggerated this and turned it into a “massacre” so people would turn on the Patriots even more when in reality, they were just protecting themselves.
Imagine a powerful organization from a different place coming into your town taking your jobs, destroying your possessions and telling you what you can and can't do. This is what the British were doing to the colonists during the time of the Boston massacre. The Boston Massacre was a conflict that happened on March 5th 1770. It happened near the courthouse in front of the church on a street called King Street. British soldiers had shot at a group of colonists killing 5 of them. Some think it was the British to blame for this tragedy but others think it was the colonists fault for this event.
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 events of March 5, 1770 should and have been remembered as momentous and predictable. Perhaps not the night or city specifically, but the state of affairs in Boston, if not throughout The English Colonies, had declined to the point that British troops found themselves frequently assaulted with stones, dirt, and human feces. The opinions and sentiments of either side were certainly not clandestine. Even though two spectators express clear culpability for the opposing side, they do so only in alteration of detail. The particulars of the event unfold the same nonetheless. The happening at the Custom House off King Street was a catastrophic inevitability. Documents from the Boston Massacre trial, which aid us in observing from totally different perceptions. The depositions of witnesses of the event prove to be useful; an English officer Captain Preston and a colonial Robert Goddard give relatively dissimilar details. In spite of these differences, they still both describe the same state of affairs.
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
The Boston Massacre came about because the British troops came into town and tried to enforce the Townshend Act, which placed a tax on tea, paper, glass and some other products from England (History.com). The people of Boston hated this idea and rapidly started to rebel. At this point people believed that the British were the first to start the confrontation, but they were wrong. The colonists started the riot. The colonists started throwing things at the soldiers, such as snowballs, sticks and rocks (Rebecca Beatrice Brooks).
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.
Phoner begins to set the stage for the Boston Massacre by talking about the entrance of four thousand soldiers into Boston. He talks about three different events that led up to the massacre and were witnessed by George Hewes. The first event the slaying of Christopher Seider ten days before the massacre. Seider was an eleven-year-old boy was picketing the shop of a merchant who was violating the anti-import resolution. He was killed by Ebenezer Richardson, who shot into the group of people. The next event was the fight between a few soldiers and ropewalk workers. The ropewalk workers beat the soldiers, and the soldiers sought to seek revenge later on the fifth of March. The final event was the attempt to collect an overdue bill from a British
The Boston Massacre was a fundamental event at the beginning of the American Revolution. The massacre became part of anti-British propaganda for Boston activists and fed American fears of the English military in both the North and South. The Boston Massacre was the first “battle” in the Revolutionary War. Although it wasn’t until five years after the Boston Massacre that the Revolutionary War officially began, the Boston Massacre was a forecast of the violent storm to come.
Throughout history, events are sparked by something, which causes emotions to rise and tensions to come to a breaking point. The Boston Massacre was no exception; America was feeling the pressure of the British and was ready to break away from the rule. However, this separation between these two parties would not come without bloodshed on both sides. The British did not feel the American had the right to separate them from under British rule, but the Americans were tired of their taxes and rules being placed upon them and wanted to succeed from their political tyrants. The Boston Massacre would be the vocal point in what would be recognized, as the Revolutionary War in American history and the first place lives would be lost for the cost of liberty. Even though the lives were lost that day, eight British soldiers were mendaciously accused of murder when it was clearly self-defense. People who are placed in a situation where their lives are threatened have the right to defend themselves. History does not have the right to accuse any one event those history may have considered the enemy guilty when they are fighting for their lives.
At long last, today the trials of the British soldiers finally concluded! It has been many months since the Boston Massacre occurred on March 5th. I remember that day extremely clearly. I was at my home in North Square when I heard loud knocks and shouts coming from outside my property. I was completely terrified to see what the predicament was! Five years ago a mob ransacked my house and almost killed my family and we barely escaped with our lives! It was only due to my support of the Stamp Act this happened. However, this time I decided to take the chance in order to find out what the dilemma was. As I opened my door I was greeted by colonists urging me to help them stop the violence and unrest which was being committed on King Street.
A1. The cause or trigger to American Revolution started when the British King began imposing taxes on the colonist to help pay for a war, the French and Indian War, that left the British with no money. The colonist began being taxed for goods that they were receiving for free. This made the colonist mad. The colonist then rebelled against the king by sneaking into a ship and dumping tea into the Boston Harbor. This boycott caused the king to become very angry. He then set up a few Acts that would anger the colonist even further. One of the most notable was the Intolerable Acts which shut down one of the major harbors in and out of Boston that was used for trade. The colonist reacted by coming together to figure out how to deal with the British. They sent delegates to the first continental congress to not only boycott British goods but to also send a letter to the kind that he needed to stop the Intolerable Act. With no response from the King he sent over soldiers to keep an eye on the colonist and to make sure they were behaving. This would trigger the Boston Massacre, where colonists were shot by the British soldiers. The King then sent more troops to America, which leads to the ride of Paul