Post on 30-Dec-2015
The Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770
Boston, Massachusetts, Circa 1770
What we know happened.
A crowd (or mob) of Bostonians approached and began yell at a group of seven or eight British soldiers and their commanding officer, Captain Thomas Preston.
British soldiers of the time were nicknamed “Lobsterbacks”
What we know happened.
Preston and his men were coming to the aid of a lone British Sentry (guard) in front of the Custom’s House (Seaport Tax Office).
The Boston Custom’s House
What we know happened.
The crowd (or mob) surrounded the group of soldiers under Captain Preston’s command.
Captain Preston’s efforts to get the crowd (or mob) to calm down and disperse (go home) failed.
What we know happened.
The crowd (or mob) was calling the soldiers things far worse than “lobsterback”.
The crowd started throwing things.
The crowd started chanting “Fire and be damned!”
The Boston Mob
What we know happened.
A musket was fired at the crowd (or mob).
This first shot was immediately followed by more shots.
What we know happened.
The crowd (or mob) quickly went home.
The soldiers and Captain Preston went back to their barracks (the buildings where groups of soldiers live).
Five Bostonians were dead or dying.
Grave of the five victims
What we know happened.
People were angry.
Questions
Did the soldiers fire with provocation?
Did they fire on their own?
Was Captain Preston guilty of ordering his men to fire into a crowd of civilians?
Was Preston innocent and being used by men like Samuel Adams to confirm the oft-claimed tyranny of England?
Patriots claimed. . . .
A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston.
Printed by Order of the Town of Boston.
THE HORRID MASSACRE IN BOSTON, PERPETRATED IN THE EVENING OF THE FIFTH DAY OF MARCH, 1770, BY SOLDIERS OF THE TWENTY-NINTH REGIMENT
Paul Revere engraved the event.
Paul Revere by John Singleton Copley
Who is missing from the engraving?
Who is missing from the engraving?
Crispus Attucks
This is a mid 1850s depiction of the attack.
Why isn’t Crispus Attucks in the engraving?
Bias?
Racism?
Personal Animosity?
Lack of knowledge?
Another reason.
Questions
Did the soldiers fire with provocation?
Did they fire on their own?
Was Captain Preston guilty of ordering his men to fire into a crowd of civilians?
Was Preston innocent and being used by men like Samuel Adams to confirm the oft-claimed tyranny of England?
What happened after the Boston Massacre?
The soldiers were put on trial.
March 13, 1770
A grand jury indicts Captain Preston and eight soldiers are indicted for murder in connection with the massacre.
Queen Street Courthouse
September 7, 1770
Preston and the soldiers are formally arraigned on charges of murder. All plead "Not Guilty."