Boston Massacre

I

Introduction

Boston Massacre, riot in the city of Boston, Massachusetts, on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers fired on a group of unarmed American colonists. The incident was one of the events that led to outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775.

II

British Soldiers in Boston

In 1768 the British government moved troops to Boston to help the officials collect taxes and maintain order. Many people in Boston resented the presence of the British troops and saw them as evidence of British oppression. The townspeople and the soldiers had repeated conflicts throughout the city.

III

The Massacre

On the evening of March 5, 1770, a group of men and boys started throwing snowballs at a British sentry in front of the customs house. Other British soldiers came to support him. Within a short time, the mob had grown, and people threw any objects at hand at the soldiers. The soldiers fired into the crowd and killed five men, including Crispus Attucks, who may have been a runaway slave.

IV

Trial

Captain Thomas Preston and eight of the soldiers were arrested and tried for murder. John Adams, later president of the United States, and Josiah Quincy defended the British soldiers after other Boston lawyers had refused. Preston and six of the soldiers were acquitted. Two were found guilty of manslaughter, branded on the hand, and released.

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