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An essay on the boston massacre
Essay on what really happened in the boston massacre
An essay on the boston massacre
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Our topic is the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, both of which took place in Boston Massachusetts and were two of many grievances that escalated the tension between the colonists and the British. The Boston Massacre occurred March 5th in the year 1770. British troops were already in Massachusetts since 1768 to help enforce the Townshend Acts and tensions had been rising. The Townshend Acts was a tax of common goods (paper, glass, tea) imposed by the British government on the colonists. The colonists despised the ‘Redcoats’ and consistently taunted them by spitting, name-calling and fighting. It began with a disagreement between Private White (British) and a wigmaker’s apprentice (American); however the crowd increased quickly when Private White struck the apprentice. …show more content…
The Americans screamed at the soldiers to ‘Fire and be Damned’ and kept goading the British by throwing rocks at them. Eventually, the British Army opened fire, which led to the deaths of 5 American civilians (including Crispus Attucks) and 6 injured civilians. Governor Hutchison had Captain Preston arrested the next morning. It was then discussed at Faneuil Hall (the meeting spot for the Patriots) what to do with the arrestees. On March 28th the trials began, and eventually Preston, 8 soldiers and 4 civilians were acquitted, except for two soldiers. John Adams defended Preston and helped ‘Reasonable Doubt’ become a defense with this quote: “[w]here you are doubtful never act: that is, if you doubt of the prisoner’s guilt, never declare him guilty; that is always the rule, especially in cases of life.” The term ‘Boston Massacre’ was actually the propagandized term assigned by the Patriot leaders (Samuel Adams and Paul Revere), while the British titled this event as the ‘Incident on King Street’;
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.
George Hewes’ account of the Boston Tea party is considered a firsthand account of a historically significant event. The Boston Tea party took place the night of December 16, 1773 on three ships anchored in Boston Harbor. Hewes recounts the events leading up to the Boston Tea Party, the actual attack on the ships and its aftermath. He provides descriptive narration thus contributing to the historical context surround the Tea party. This event and many others leading up to it, provide a colorful backdrop on the eve of the American Revolution.
Whenever the colonies were being established there were always issues, much like today. They worried about over taxation, jobs, money, their children, and many other things. Things haven’t really changed other than some of our morals. Back in the 1770’s many men in power were selfish and cared for nothing but money. Granted, some people make the argument that America is still that way, but we know it’s not all true. Way back when, America was still mainly ruled by England, any war that England fought in, America paid the price. These men in positions of power would force Americans to pay overbearing taxes to cover the debts of wars and even sometimes just to get money from them. So, here’s how one event of over taxation lead to the event of a deadly outcome (Godwin).
"the shot heard round the world"-Ralph Waldo Emerson concord hymn. No this doesn't mean in 1770 all of the people in the world heard the shot. It means that this incident was known about throughout everywhere in the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson meant to say this to tell the significance behind the shooting and the outcome of the shooting as well. Many people also believed that this was the thing that's started it all. People thought that because of the outrages and protesting caused by the massacre it caused the start of the revolutionary war. The infamous Boston massacre was caused by colonists protesting unfair British actions and defensive British soldiers try to contain the crowd then sparking the revolution.
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
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.
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.
Most people have heard of The Boston tea party. When American patriots dressed as Mohawk Indians boarded the British ships in the Boston harbor and dumped all of the tea into the ocean. But what most people fail to realize is the great importance behind this protest. To fully understand a topic of history one must first acknowledge the actions behind it. The French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Revenue Act, as well as the Tea Act are all important catalysts of the legendary Boston tea party. Which is why we will discuss these topics before examining the events of the Boston tea party.
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.
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.
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.
Brooks, Rebecca B. "The Boston Massacre." History of Massachusetts. N.p., 10 Nov. 2011. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.
I discussed the differences between Captain Thomas Preston’s Account of the Boston Massacre (1770) and Paul Revere, Image of The Bloody Massacre (1770). I then explained both men’s story beginning with Captain Thomas Preston’s vision of the event. I then explained Paul Revere version of the event. I then included my opinion which account I believed was most accurate and explained why.
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 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