Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, January 27
    Trending
    • This Day in History on January 27th
    • History Short: Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Society»Crime»March 5, 1770: Boston Massacre Fuels Revolutionary Fervor
    Crime

    March 5, 1770: Boston Massacre Fuels Revolutionary Fervor

    Major DanBy Major DanMarch 5, 2016Updated:February 17, 202025 Comments5 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On March 5, 1770, in an incident then known as “The Incident on King Street” British soldiers gunned down 5 American patriots and wounded another 6.  The British Army soldiers had been stationed in Boston to protect British authorities believed to be in danger from rebellious Americans upset with arbitrary laws passed by the British Parliament.

    Digging Deeper

    In 1768 the British Chief Customs Officer asked Colonial Secretary, Lord Hillsborough, to send the soldiers to Massachusetts for the protection of government officials due to unrest over tariffs and other laws perceived as unfair by the colonists.  Heavy handed British tactics that attempted to bully Americans into submission, such as seizing John Hancock’s sloop, the Liberty, only made matters worse.  At first 4 British regiments were stationed in Massachusetts, and 2 of those remained in February of 1770 when an American boy, age 11 was killed by a British Customs employee.

    This offense was apparently enough for the American colonists who were outraged by this latest act of brutality and a confrontation between a British soldier and a colonist resulted in the soldier butt stroking the colonist with the soldier’s musket.  A crowd developed and tensions rose.  Church bells were rung, calling out citizens which gathered outside the Customs office and insults went back and forth between soldiers and Americans.  The crowd, possibly led by a mulatto runaway slave named Crispus Attucks escalated the incident by throwing things at the soldiers, eventually knocking a musket from the hands of a Private Montgomery who was himself knocked down as well.  As the soldiers had already loaded their muskets as tensions escalated, Montgomery fired into the crowd, causing an American innkeeper, Richard Palmes, to slug Montgomery with a stick Palmes was carrying.  In the following confusion, shots were fired into the crowd of Americans, killing 5 men and wounding another 6.

    After the slaughter, the crowd moved back somewhat, giving the soldiers some respite, but numerous other Americans joined the crowd and danger loomed ominously over the scene.  The British Acting governor Thomas Hutchinson managed to convince the crowd that a fair inquiry would be held and the crowd reluctantly dispersed, though tensions remained high.

    The next day 8 British soldiers and their officer, Captain Thomas Preston, were arrested for murder, along with 4 civilian Customs workers alleged to have fired into the crowd as well.  Under heavy pressure from the colonists, the troop garrison was moved just outside of Boston.  Tensions remained high and a fierce propaganda war was waged by American Patriots.

    At the trial of the soldiers and Customs agents, Loyalist lawyers refused to take the case for the defense, and British authorities contacted American patriot John Adams to defend the accused.  Adams accepted and a relatively fair trial was conducted in which 6 of the soldiers were acquitted (mostly due to self-defense) and 2 soldiers were convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter, as they had more clearly fired into the crowd with deadly intent.  Due to circumstances of feeling threatened, the convicted soldiers were given the reduced sentence of having their thumb branded right there in court.  Capt. Preston was acquitted in a separate trial which found he had not ordered the troops to fire.

    The 4 civilians were also acquitted.

    The so called Boston Massacre was a rallying point for patriotic Americans and fueled the desire for Independence by revolution.  When one of the wounded died in 1780 supposedly of the wounds he suffered 10 years earlier, his death was celebrated as a reminder of why the Americans were fighting for Independence.  Annual commemorations were held by Patriots to keep the memory and outrage fresh in the minds of Americans up to and through the Revolutionary War.

    The martyrdom of mixed race Crispus Attucks has been portrayed by abolitionists as fodder for their movement, and later depictions of the scene have portrayed Attucks as a dark skinned Black man instead of as the lighter skinned man he actually was.  Regardless, Attucks and his fellow martyrs are remembered and honored as early victims who sacrificed their lives in the interest in American freedom.  The Bostonian Society conducts a reenactment of the event each year on March 5.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Were the British soldiers justified in firing on the Americans?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Barnett III, Charles, Michael Burgan, et al.  The Boston Massacre (Graphic History).  Capstone Press, 2006.

    York, Neil L.  The Boston Massacre.  Routledge, 2010.

    Zobel, Hiller B.  The Boston Massacre.  W.W. Norton & Co., 1996.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleMarch 5, 1836: “God Created Men and Sam Colt Made Them Equal!” (Old West Adage)
    Next Article March 6, 1836: What Do You Remember About the Alamo?
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on January 27th

    January 27, 2023

    History Short: Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?

    January 27, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.