Premium Essay

Revolutionary War: The Boston Massacre

Submitted By
Words 456
Pages 2
The Boston Massacre was a violent encounter between the Rebels and the British Army in the midst of the Revolutionary War, that historians have debated since battle broke out; massacre or unfortunate encounter? I have been lead to believe that the British shat first, but only by an accidental firing or a miscommunication between Captain Preston and the soldier. Both sources A and D support my statement, and while Source A may be biased, Source D is not.
Source A says, from the word of Captain Preston, “The mob still increased and were most outrageous, striking their clubs or bludgeons one another, and calling out, come on you rascals, you bloody backs, fire if you dare, G-d damn you fire and be damned, we know you dare not, and much more such language was used.” If the crowd had been yelling at them to fire, it would have been easy to misunderstand amongst the confusion, although both claim Captain Preston did not say to fire. In Source D, Newton Prince also states that there was a mob calling for them to fire.
There is also evidence from those sources to show the mob was also violent. In Source D, James Woodall said, “I saw a great many …show more content…
However, both sources are biased towards the Rebels, and there are many flaws in their stories. Firstly, in Source E, there is no snow, there aren’t any African-American people, and there is a dog in the middle of battle. The Boston Massacre was set in Boston in the middle of March, so there was probably snow, and both Sources A and state that snowballs were thrown by the citizens. Also, Newton Prince, an African-American from Source D witnessed the Massacre, and Crispus Attucks, the first killed, was also African-American. None of the sources besides Source E show any dog involved. Lastly, in B it says that the British provoked the citizens and endangered them, but Sources A and D claim

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Revolutionary War

...for the America Revolutionary War Revolutionary War, what really cause it? Many believe it was because americans didn't want to pay taxes to king George III, but they were many reasons on what really brought America to be independent. For example the Boston Massacre, The Boston port act, The Massachusetts government act, The administration of Justice Act and The quartering act. All this were few of the reasons that brought the revolutionary war into the 13 colonies. We American decided not to be bully by the British authority so we decided to take matters into our on hands. It was not easy for us do that Britain out number us x6, but we never quitted and decided to keep fighting. The Boston massacre, one of the most bloodiest event in US history. This was a event that shook America apart. In March 5, 1770 the presence of the British troops in Boston was very unwelcome. Citizens were feeling treating by the increase amount of troops. This all began when 50 citizens attacked a British sentinel. They were throwing snowballs, stones and sticks, they started firing in-defend, 5 citizens died that night. John Adams took this case defending the British soldiers, he won the case and they were release. The Boston Port act, many confuse this act with the Boston tea party, one event led to the other. The Boston port was close on June 1, 1774 due to the destruction of the tea for the Boston tea party. The...

Words: 607 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Boston Mmassacre

...The Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre played a big role during the 1770’s by serving as an anti-British propaganda to enrage citizens and have the responsibility to eventually rise up and start the Revolutionary War. Citizens knew that they had the right to be free, but were growing angry because the British Parliament were raising taxes and placing taxes on them for more things. Without the Boston Massacre tensions leading up to war, and our freedom may not have happened at all. Since 1765, the people of Boston had been heading protests against British taxation: the Stamp Act then the Townshend Act. In 1767, The British Parliament passed the Townshend Act, enraging colonists. Citizens believed that the British didn’t have the right to tax them because they did not elect their representatives in Parliament. Only the Massachusetts Assembly, whose members were elected every year, had the right to levy taxes on its citizens. The Townshend Acts imposed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper and tea imported into the colonies. Townshend hoped the acts would defray imperial expenses in the colonies, but many Americans viewed the taxation as an abuse of power, resulting in the passage of agreements to limit imports from Britain. The East India Company was on the verge of collapse and Parliament hoped to boost the company's bottom line by allowing them to sell tea more cheaply to the colonists. Also, Boston was occupied by British soldiers in October, 1768 to help protect customs...

Words: 856 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Colonists: The Boston Massacre

...The Colonists Since 1765, the people of Boston had been having protests against the british taxing them. First against the Stamp Acts, then in 1767 against the Townshend Acts. Many citizens believed that Britain did not have the right to tax them because they did not have their representatives in Parliament. Only the Massachusetts Assembly, whose members were elected every year, had the right to put taxes on the colonies. The day is March 5, 1770 right outside the Customs House, the day the Boston Massacre occurred. A colonist walked over to a sober soldier had a few words with him. The soldier hit him randomly with the painful butt of his hard wood and metal gun. The colonist walked over to the other colonists and explained what happened...

Words: 1239 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Essay On The Boston Massacre

...Part B The Revolutionary War is one of America’s most significant wars. The Revolutionary War officially began on April 19th, 1775. It ended on September 3rd, 1783 by the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1783), which formally acknowledged the independence of the United States. Though the colonists were ungrateful for the help they received from Great Britain in the French and Indian war, had they never responded the way they did against King George’s power then, America would not be the independent country it is today that stands to protect people’s freedom and natural rights. More than ten years before the Revolutionary War began, tensions between the colonies and Great Britain were growing. King George III had been practicing salutary neglect...

Words: 811 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

His/115 Appendix B

...Associate Level Material Appendix B Causes of the Revolution Complete the grid by describing each pre-war event and explaining how it contributed to the Revolutionary War. |Pre-War Event |Description |Contribution to the Revolutionary War | | |This was a war against the British colonies, and the royal French forces which |The biggest contribution that this had with the revolutionary war is that after this war | |French and Indian War|had native American forces allied with them. this war broke out over dispute |both France and Britain both suffered financially, so if this had not happened the | | |over the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. |revolutionary war may have had a different outcome. | | |The sugar act was a revenue raising act passed by the parliament of great |This tax on molasses increased the colonists concerns about the intent of the british | |Sugar Act |Britain, to tax molasses hoping that the tax would actually be collected so the |parliament which helped the movement that became the American revolution. | | |kingdoms revenue would grow. | ...

Words: 712 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

French And Indian War Analysis

...work together to stop the British tyranny.The Second Continental Congress including Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock,etc. declared their independence on July 4, 1776 in The Declaration Of Independence. This was the start of the great Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was the only revolution during that time period where the colony was standing up to the “man’. Some years later a lot of...

Words: 1211 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Boston Massacre Research Paper

...The Boston Massacre was a horrifying event that took place on March 5, 1770, killing 5 people 2 on accident, and 3 died on the spot. The causes of the Boston Massacre in 1770 were to enforce unpopular taxation measures passed by a British parliament that lacked American representation, an angry mob of American colonists gathering and taunting British soldiers, and the British reaction. The British weren’t welcomed at all that’s when the riot began. Fifty citizens attacked a British sentinel, objects were thrown and weapons were fired. Patriot mobs threw snowballs, stones, and sticks. Several colonists were injured or killed on the scene because of the British and this led to one of the biggest wars in American history. In this essay it will show why the colonist was horrified by the reaction of the British in the Boston massacre. Before the Boston massacre October 1768 the British had been billeted after repeated request from officials who had been harassed and imitated because their effort to enforce unpopular taxation or Townshend acts. The Townshend act caused problems because they were expected to impose duties and taxes on paper, lead, paints, and tea imported to colonies. The Boston massacre killed 5...

Words: 637 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Boston Tea Party Research Paper

...The Revolutionary War was the conflict between Great Britain’s 13 colonies and the British government. One of the causes was The Boston Tea Party, which was the protest against taxation on tea, and took place on the night of December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty led by Samuel Adams and The Sons of Liberty boarded three ships, dressed as Indians, and threw 342 containers of tea overboard. Another cause is The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War. This was the conflict between Britain and France in the colonies for rights to the Ohio River Valley. The last cause is The Boston Massacre, which was a squabble that took place on March 5, 1770, between a “patriot” mob and a squad of British soldiers. All of these causes made more...

Words: 812 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Boston Teah Partty

...American Revolution In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the city of Boston became a hot bed of colonist rebellion against the British Government. The citizens in Boston, of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, had become fed up with unjustified taxation levied against them by the British. The colonists of Boston also saw it to be problematic that the colonies were subject to British rule, but were not represented in Parliament. In the half-decade prior to the Revolutionary War, the city of Boston hosted two monumental events that rallied the colonists into the direction of independence; the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. A man named George Roberts Twelve Hewes had the honor of being able to witness and take direct involvement in both the Massacre and the Tea Party. George Roberts Twelve Hewes was born and raised in Massachusetts and saw the development of the Revolution from the perspective of an “everyday” colonist. He was born on August 25th, 1742. Hewes was a shoemaker by trade and was never able to amount an impressive net worth. If anything, it can be argued that Hewes was very much more poverty stricken than anything else. Money never seemed to influence Hewes’s actions; instead George Roberts Twelve Hewes was a man of principal and integrity. Prior to the Revolutionary War, Hewes participated in both the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party. During the Revolutionary War, Hewes served as a Privateer and a member of the militia for the Thirteen Colonies...

Words: 3612 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Crispus Attucks: The First To Defy, By Lester David

...Both authors, David and Vox, support the claim that Attucks’s actions played a significant role in the start of the American Revolution. The author, Lester David, in the story, “Crispus Attucks: The First to Defy,” presents and supports their claim in a more compelling way, or interesting way. To begin with, the author, Lester David, supports their claim in a more compelling way by describing statistics, facts, and studies to prove his point, or supports the claim by appealing to the reader’s emotions. Lester David describes in the article, “Crispus Attucks: The First to Defy,” by introducing right away how the Boston Massacre started and how the Attucks played an important role in the Boston Massacre, and as well as the American Revolution....

Words: 295 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Boston Massacre Research Paper

...The Boston massacre had a major role in the America’s fight for freedom. Over the years some people think the Boston Massacre was not the worst event that occurred in the American Revolution, but it still had a role in in starting the war. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 between a “patriot” mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. A squad of British soldiers, came to support a sentry who was being pressed by a heckling crowd, let loose a volley shots. The massacre was named as one of the first battles of the Revolutionary war. It happened because protests did not want British troops in their city, which were sent to enforce the unpopular taxation laws. The soldiers raised their weapons and the protests responded by throwing snowballs, and other objects until something hit a soldier causing him to fire his weapon out into the crowd. Despite the fact that the Boston Massacre pushed us closer to war....

Words: 304 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Boston Massacre Research Paper

...and spread wide over Boston. On the day of the funeral all shops and stores were closed due to the incident that occurred. Thousands of people gathered to remember the five that died. The colonies became a nation working, thinking, and grieving together. It was a crucial step forward for the peoples of the colonies as they began to wonder whether they were truly subjects of such a cruel nation, subjects of their own nation. There were lots and lots of newspapers and articles published each of them were about the soldiers involved in crisis...

Words: 930 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Causes of the Revolution

...Associate Level Material Appendix B Causes of the Revolution Complete the grid by describing each pre-war event and explaining how it contributed to the Revolutionary War. |Pre-War Event |Description |Contribution to the Revolutionary War | |French and Indian War|Lasted from 1756-1763 and was the bloodiest American war in the 18th century and took more|The disagreement caused the colonists to believe that they would be looked at by the | | |lives that the American Revolution. It involved people on three different continents |British as one colony instead of separate colonies. The people resented any efforts | | |including the Caribbean. This was a clash between the French and the English over |from the British. | | |territory and wealth. The war was also known as The Seven Years War. For the first three | | | |years of the war, the outnumbered French dominated the battlefield, soundly defeating the | | | |English in battles at Fort Oswego and Ticonderoga. Perhaps the most notorious battle...

Words: 834 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

The Enduring Issue Of Conflict

...Morgan McCarty Social Studies 3/28/18 Conflict Essay An enduring issue is a problem that exists over time that people must deal with in order to survive. An example, of an enduring issue, is conflict. Conflict is defined as is the result of competing desires or the presence of obstacles that need to be overcome: or a disagreement between two or more parties. Conflict is a huge part of life, it is something that has been going on for centuries. In 1770 there was a fight between colonists and British soldiers. During the Constitutional Convention, 1787, disagreement spread amongst the delegates. In 1791 anger and violence broke out. So from 1770- 1791, there were three major disputes, although not all physical. The conflict...

Words: 324 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Boston Massacre

...The Boston Massacre was an event, which led to the death of five colonists after British soldiers when ordered to fire upon them on March 5th, 1770. Much controversy surrounds the incident, as there seems to be a few different stories of what truly happened. Regardless, many people believe the Boston Massacre was the spark that ignited the Revolutionary War. My efforts will be focused on figuring our what really happened, and what events caused the British officers to shoot into the crowd of colonists. The incident took place on King Street (which is now called State Street today), on an early morning on the 5th of March in front of the British Sentry called Private Hugh White. Edward Gerrish, an apprentice of a wigmakers, began yelling at a British officer, lieutenant John Goldfinch for an unpaid bill. Gerrish left, but eventually came back hours later and began throwing rocks at the lieutenant. Soon, many colonists joined in and threw rocks themselves. At this point, Goldfinch had reached his boiling point, and challenged Gerrish before striking him with his musket. As the evening progressed, the crowd outside the sentry grew larger and larger and continued to harass the British officers. Meanwhile, Captain Thomas Preston overlooked the entire situation as it escalated. He immediately ordered 8 soldiers to help control the situation before it got out of hand. As the soldiers approached, with muskets loaded, the crowd of nearly 400 began to surround the outnumbered officers...

Words: 544 - Pages: 3