Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Boston massacre essay 4 grade
The boston massacre 1770 essay
Boston massacre essay 4 grade
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Boston massacre essay 4 grade
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 when a mob of civilians confronted the British in Boston after nearly two years of tension between the colonists and the British soldiers in Boston. In the fall of 1768, many British soldiers were stationed in Boston to maintain order, and enforce taxes on account of the colonists protesting the Townshend Acts with a fiery passion. The Townshend Acts were imposed by Parliament and Prime Minister Charles Townsend in 1767 to continue to raise funds to pay off Britain's enormous debt. The Townsend Acts suspended New York assemblies, forced the colonists to board British soldiers, placed duties on imported goods, such as glass, paint, paper, lead, tea, etc., and allowed customs officials to enter any ship or house they deem suspicious of …show more content…
The British held their position with orders not to fire, however, the rioters started to throw clubs and snowballs. Private Hugh Montgomery fired the first shot, and after all the smoke cleared, five civilians were dead-- Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr. Nine British soldiers involved with the Massacre were charged with manslaughter, including Captain Thomas Preston, who was the commanding officer at the time of the incident. He stated that the soldiers acted in self-defense, and that the order to fire was simply an accident due to the rioters taunting the British by yelling, “Fire.” John Adams, a public supporter of the Patriot cause and cousin to the leader of the Sons of Liberty, Samuel Adams, defended Preston and the other men due to his strong belief that people should abide by the rule of law, rather than becoming violent. In the end, Preston and six other men were acquitted of charges, with two men found guilty of manslaughter, but they only received a branding on the hand, with the alternative being a prison
First we will touch on the deposition of Theodore Bliss, a local colonist. In Mr. Bliss’s deposition he states the colonists were provoking the soldiers. The colonists were throwing snowballs and yelling aggravating words at them. According to Mr. Bliss it was not until a soldier was struck with a stick that the first fire was shot. The deposition state that the order to fire was not given by Captain Preston. After the first shot was fired Mr. Bliss thinks the captain gave the order to fire but is not sure due to the fact a lot of people were yelling at the soldiers to fire. Claims none of the colonists charged at the soldiers prior to the first shot, but that after the first shot a couple of the colonists attempted to ...
Passed in 1767, the Townshend Acts put taxes on several basic items that, to obtain them, needed to be imported. These items included glass, paper, lead, and tea. The British planned out the Townshend Acts a little differently than they had previously planned other acts. They passed the Townshend Acts in a way for them to still make money, but to avoid direct conflict with the colonists. The British thought that if they taxed imported items, as opposed to taxing items produced in the colonies (like the Stamp Act did), that the colonists wouldn’t have as much hostility towards the act. The second part of the Townshend Acts was sending of troops and warships to Boston. In September of 1768, warships arrived in Boston harbor carrying four thousand troops. The soldiers came to keep structure after all the colonists’ chaotic reactions of the past acts. The establishment of the Writs of Assistance was the last part of the Townshend Acts. British soldiers used the Writs of Assistance to search colonists’ houses for smuggled goods. After the British passed the Townshend Acts, the colonists had several reactions in response to them. One reaction was boycotting. This colonial boycott was on all imported British goods, and it was extremely widespread. The boycott encouraged more colonists to join the Sons and Daughters of Liberty, which lead to many colonists replacing items, which they would normally buy from British merchants, with homemade versions. These items included fabrics, candles, and tea. Another reaction was non-importation agreements. Non-importation agreements are written agreements that said that whoever signed one would not purchase items from British merchants until they got representation in British Parliament. A tremendous amount of colonists signed these agreements, and those who didn’t were sometimes harassed or had their property destroyed. Similarly,
In 1767 many horrible things were happening to the thirteen colonies. England was punishing America for the way they were acting. They did not want the colonies to be independent; but wanted them to ask for permission to do things, and listen to what they were told. Just the year before, the Declaratory Act was passed stating that England could do what they wanted and America had to do as they said. They could pass any law onto the colonies and they would have to deal with it. Which leads to the Townshend Acts; “a series of measures introduced into the English Parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles Townshend in 1767” (Mifflin). The Townshend Acts began with the English parliament wanting to teach the colonies responsibility and ended in a massacre and boycott from all English products. Charles Townshend, being in charge of the treasury, came up with the idea to put a low tax on several small things so that the colonists would not be able to tell as much as a large tax on one thing. He proposed a tax on glass, led,
The American Revolution displayed that certain stages matched with the broad general pattern and throughout its duration exhibited characteristics and causes normally attributed to revolutions. Other parts of the Revolution, however, tended to deviate from the generally accepted pattern. As a prelude before the Revolution itself, there were already preliminary symptoms of unrest within America that followed the first step in the general pattern of revolutions. Prior to the first shots at Lexington and Concord in 1775, growing discontent with the British Government passing certain acts that the Americans perceived as unfair had already risen to a substantial degree. With the majority of acts incurring economic and financial costs, by 1767, the Townshend Acts had been passed, putting further taxes on paper, glass and tea.
The 5 people that died were,sailor named Crispus Attucks, rope-maker Samuel Gray, and a mariner named James Caldwell,Samuel maverick, and Patrick Carr. The first in the crowd were the people that get shot. The Americans were the first because the men were trying to fight for what was right. These men were men from sons of liberty and people who were just fighting for what was right. The British in the crowd only heard fire and shot. It was an outrage because the British weren't told to fire. The only person that could tell him to shoot was the general but the general didn't command. Because of all of this it had some serious outcomes.
“A View of Part of the Town of Boston in New-England and British Ships of War: Landing Their Troops! 1768” is an engraving done by Paul Revere in May of 1770 in the wake of the success of “The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street”. Carved in protest of the british occupation of boston following the Intolerable acts as anti-british propaganda, weeks after the Boston Massacre. The widespread popularity of this print at the time shows the rising revolutionary movement.
I think either the soldiers should have been guilty for firing without an order or that Preston should have been guilty for giving the order to fire. According to Liesenfelt, the eight men said they were following Preston orders and should be tried at one time (1). So the soldiers are saying they were following orders which means Preston is guilty. Also three black witnesses gave testimony that they did hear an order to fire by Preston. Then again a merchant said he did not hear an order. Either way the soldiers and/or Preston should have been guilty. I think it a lot easier to miss something said than to be hearing things. So the evidence is there that Preston gave an order to fire.
In 1963 the French and the Indian war was concluded, the British parliaments was seeking to repay the depts. incurred during the war. The British parliaments also imposed a series of taxes including the sugar act of 1764, the stamp act 1765 and the Townshend acts 1767. Protestor raged throughout the colonies and Boston was the center of protest. The citizenry regarded the troops as threats to their homes, families given that townspeople and off duty troops completed for work. On March 5 1770 five civilians were killed by the
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.
The Boston Massacre was an important event in U.S. history, that lead to the American
The night of March 5th in Boston, Massachusetts took place was a horrific massacre brought on by the british soldiers. The British were not happy about the Americans decision to rebel against the new changes being made for Americans. The American Colonists rebel against the British because the colonists had been denied their rights. Prior to the night of the Massacre the british had also put in place multiple new taxes on the American colonies, these changes that were established were the result of this terrible massacre.
Why did the colonists separate from the king if they just wanted to be treated better? The colonists had it rough, the king kept taxing them, he put intolerable acts on them, which the colonists rebelled against. The king also enraged the colonists with the Prohibitory act, which caused many things to happen, one being the split between the colonies and Great Britain.
Preston and the soldiers were arrested and put on trial in front of a Boston trial. Preston, with the help of his lawyer, John Adams, was found not guilty. Many historians, however, feel as if the verdict was not justified. Preston himself stated that he did not order the soldiers to fire, and many others testified this. Much of the information from the accounts is controversial and many claimed that they did not hear Preston instruct his troops to fire. Based on evidence from sources such as eyewitness accounts and Preston’s own account, Preston is not guilty. Preston never once told a soldier to fire, but the confusion made it seem like he did, so his verdict of innocent was justified.
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.
It was the end of another cold and snowy February in 1770, I was worried about my beautiful wife Gracie and sweet little girl Lilly. My two favorite girls in the world, Gracie a big-hearted, long braided brunette, with big green eyes. Then Lilly my little sweetheart with big beautiful blue eyes, a short little braid mimicking Gracie’s, and a sweet welcoming smile everytime I see her. That smile when I see her… I come home to my little family tonight I miss them so much I can’t wait. “Hey Maddix!” I hear from Johnny across the room. Johnny, my best friend from as long as I can remember, His long brunette hair with blue eyes and that mean grin when he’s joking. I am just like him just with short hair and