...As time progressed in colonial Boston, disputes between colonists and English sympathizers and soldiers began to become more and more common as more taxes were placed on those in the colonies. Some of these were rather violent. For example, in February of 1770, an angry crowd approached a British informer at his home and began to raid and destroy it. The incident resulted in the death of a young boy and a city drawn together in their distaste for the English. Not even a month later on March 5th, the conflict later known as the Boston Massacre took place. Like the death of the boy in February, this conflict became a rally for change in the eyes of the colonialists. But, there is conflict as to what happened that night due to accounts of what happened varying between colonists and British, and even between colonists themselves. What is known for sure is that on the evening of March 5th, a group of Bostonian boys began to throw snowballs at a sentry on duty. A small crowd began to support the boys and taunt the sentry, leading him to call for help. From there, the events drastically escalated to the point...
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...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...
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...The Boston Massacre was a fight between some Patriots and British soldiers that took place on March 5th, 1770, after the repealing of most Townsend Acts. After the soldiers stopped shooting, five Patriots were killed and ten were injured. The Boston Massacre was a small tragedy that was caused by disobedient and undisciplined British Soldiers. According to the testimony of Benjamin Burdick, a watchman who was at the scene of the Boston Massacre, he had asked one of the British soldiers if he was going to fire, to which the soldier replied, “Yes by the eternal god.” This implies that at least some of the soldiers were willing to go against their commander’s orders to not shoot the colonists. Burdick also wrote, “I heard the word ‘fire’...
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...As Edward Garrick lay injured on King Street after an encounter with British soldiers, word began to spread like a wildfire throughout Boston. Already enraged by heavy taxation and the presence of royal troops alone, a crowd of rowdy protesters formed and began shouting at the soldiers. As the protest escalated, the British soldiers fired into the crowd killing five men. This single event known as the “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street”, later be dubbed “The Boston Massacre”, would spark the American Revolution. To gain a better understanding of this significant event, it’s necessary to first discuss the events leading up to the tragedy, next summarize the incident from both British and American sides, and finally discuss the aftermath and impact made toward fueling the Revolutionary War. In 1768, British troops poured into Boston following hostilities with customs officials. The troops were sent to protect the Commissioners of Customs and enforce the recent Townshend Acts implemented by the British. According to History.com (1991), the Townshend acts were a series of...
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...The Boston Massacre was an event of great significance in American history, as it marked a turning point in the mounting tensions between American Colonists and British soldiers that eventually led to the Revolutionary War. On the fateful night of March 5, 1770, a tragic clash between British soldiers and a group of American Colonists in Boston, Massachusetts resulted in the loss of five civilian lives. This event served as a catalyst that further escalated disputes and tension between the two groups. However, despite the tragedy, the aftermath of the Boston Massacre set legal processes in motion that led to a transformation of the justice system in colonial America, leaving a lasting legacy that still resonates today. Following the Boston Massacre, a series of high-profile legal cases...
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...of the Boston Massacre, over two hundred colonists had cornered British troops, throwing snowballs with rocks and wielding clubs. They shouted at the troops to fire. Five colonists were killed and six others were injured. To a certain extent, many call this an accident, but with most of the facts given, the colonists deserved what had happened to them. In the Boston Massacre, two hundred colonists had cornered a few British soldiers. With weapons in hand, they threw snowballs, rocks, sticks, and they wielded clubs. Private Montgomery was struck in the head, falling to the ground. When he rose, he was the first to fire back, causing the other troops to fire as well. With the colonists shouting for the troops to fire at them, he could have easily mistaken the command to have came from his commanding officer. This was an act of self-defense. The troops had been...
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...For example, the taxes were a big issue in the colonies. The stamp act, sugar act, and the tea act are all examples of taxes. The colonists were economically affected by it because they did not have enough money for their daily needs. Furthermore, the intolerable acts had an affect on the colonists economically. The Intolerable Acts was a series of laws passed by King George III. One of the laws stated that the port of Boston will be closed. The colonists would trade and sell goods to incorporate money in the port of Boston. Since it closed, the colonists could not trade and sell which caused debt. In addition, the Quartering act also impacted the colonist’s economic well being. The Quartering Act forced the colonists to provide food and housing for British troops. This costed the colonist’s lots of...
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...In this excerpt from a speech given for the four-year anniversary of the Boston Massacre, John Hancock utilizes emotive language and religious rhetoric to support his position that the Americans are victims of the British. Hancock uses emotive words to support his main idea. He begins with “...we felt the extremes of grief, astonishment, and rage.” “in anger, for a dreadful moment” and “suffered”, let tears “of pity” and “boiling passions shake their tender frames” as they remember that day. Hancock uses these emotional words to emphasize the struggle and pain that the Americans went through. He wants to show that they are victims of the unjust and cruel treatment of the British. As this history is being told to generations, tears “of pity”...
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...George Robert Twelves Hewes Response Paper We’ve all heard, read, and learned about the first great Americans to step foot on the New World like John Adams, John Hancock, and even the great Paul Revere, but have you’ve ever stopped and wondered about the commoners during this period of time. What happened to their stories? Did they not count? Why, because they were poor? But George Hewes changed the perspective of many historians and inspired them to write biographies of Hewes; a simple poor shoemaker. You might be asking yourselves how did a simple commoner turn to be a somebody in society, that eventually for a long period of time Americans paid tribute to. George Robert Hewes was born in August 25, 1742, in Boston. In the beginning of...
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...This paper will highlight the cause of genocide, violent massacres and crisis, how to solve them, and key roles politicians and nations must take up wholeheartedly in order to make a difference. Personal and political reconciliation must occur in the parties involved ever want to have a mutual co existence. Humanitarian Crisis and Reconciliation To understand the impact of humanitarian crises and how international politics play a role, a common definition of such crises must be understood. In his book “Humanitarian Crises and the International Politics of Selectivity” Martin Binder defines a humanitarian crisis as a “large scale human suffering resulting from the violation or the destruction of the physical integrity of a large number of people” (pg. 332). There are quite a few causes of these events that include natural disasters-earthquakes floods, winds, landslides, avalanches, cyclones, tsunamis, locust infestations, drought, volcanic eruptions, changes in weather or tidal patterns. Human factors include political corruption, embargoes or blockades, lack of planning or foresight, and not to mention demographic and geographic characteristics like population density. Of the major causes, the majority of them come from natural disasters but the one cause that can arguably be the most devastating is that of political corruption. As Robert Rothberg pointed out in his book, From Massacres to Genocide “before corruption of any kind can be dealt...
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...Abigail took a special interest in philosophy, government, and law. This early love of knowledge impacted the rest of her life, from her duties as the First Lady to her feminist ideals. By the late 1760’s, after her marriage to John, the Adams family had relocated to Boston, where most of John’s work took place. At the time, Boston was beginning to be a hot bed of underground political activism against the British. By early 1770, the mob mentality had risen to the surface, and in March 5, 1770, five people were killed in what came to be known as the Boston Massacre. John was… in the South End of Boston when [it happened]…the conflagration, they quickly realized, was a matter of personalities, not flames… He rushed home Abigail… Once her mind was at ease, at least about her husband… there was nothing more to be said or done- nothing… but to recognize that “this was the Explosion”. (Levin 25) In the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, Abigail Adams found herself in the middle of the controversy surrounding her husband’s choice to defend the British soldiers and their captains. As part of the elite social circle at the time, she risked shame by remaining loyal to her husband and their principles. It was this tragedy that gave life to Abigail’s political involvement, bringing her closer to her husband as her loyalty was tested. This devotion was put to the test multiple times throughout their fifty year marriage. In the presidential election of 1796, Abigail’s husband John ran for...
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...In the United States of America gun control is a controversial issue. From the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 to the Sandy Hook mass shooting in 2012, gun violence has indeed slowed down in America; but not where it is still not a tragedy filled with despair. There has been approximately ninety-two school shootings alone since the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary in December (Every Town). Since the adoption of the Second Amendment in 1791, anti-gun control advocates have taken only part of the entire second amendment and rephrased it. "Right to bear arms" is the one and only phrase they will use in order to argue about the right of owning as to how many guns they can own and what they can use them for. With gun violence being a serious issue, the United States has not attempted to make a change in any law regulations to help prevent the massacres and tragedies that occur very regularly in the country. The United States should compose stricter gun control in order to save the citizens. The United States will indeed still have its problems, but one step at a time is progress for a better country. The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” Thousands of citizens use the Second Amendment to protect against a possible tyrannical government; therefore having a right for guns to protect the people. Anti-gun control advocates...
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...Is it possible that guns are the cause for all the violence and murders in America? Remember the tragedy that took place on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, when Adam Lanza opened fire and fatally shot twenty children and six adults. What about the event that took place just six months before that in a theater in Aurora, Colorado? On July 20, 2012, James Holmes open fired during a shooting scene in The Dark Night Rises. His actions had killed 12 people and injured 58 others in the meantime. Saying guns are the cause of these shootings, is like saying that the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, were the cause of all those deaths, and that the planes momentarily crippled our nation. Even though changes in gun laws are necessary; Limiting magazine capacity, conducting background checks and reinstating the Assault Rifle Ban will not directly affect gun violence in America. Gun control controversies are not something that has just come about in the past few months. America has dealt with gun control issues for decades, as well as anti-gun groups that want to disarm America. In 2009 before Barack Obama got sworn into office for a second term, gun sales were on the rise around the country. Gun sales continued to rise mostly out of fear that once in office, Barack Obama would promote legislation to disarm the American citizens. In a news conference Mr. Obama stated, “Gun-owning Americans do not need to rush out and...
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...What you know as "The Battle of Bunker Hill" was not actually fought on Bunker Hill. The Americans hid there to get closer to Britain. During this, the American's had very little gun ammo and were left to fight with their Bayonets (a sword / knife on the end of a gun) Taxation without Representation played a big role during The Revolutionary War. British were issuing taxes on things like tea and sugar before the war started. Which were known as the Tea Act and the Sugar Act. What led to this war, was people from Massachusetts and dressing up like Mohawks to throw tea into the Boston Harbour. Benedict Arnold was someone nobody liked talking or even thinking about. Benedict Arnold betrayed Americans during the war to go fight with the Britains. He did all of this for money and to be apart of the British army. Once he figured out that Americans were suspicious, he escaped to England to help fight. The British were also known as Lobsterbacks, because of what they wore, which was a red...
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...Eventually he decided to move back to Braintree and began practicing law near Boston. He was the apprentice of Mr. Putnam of Worcester, who had access to the library of the Attorney General of Massachusetts and in 1761 he was admitted into the bar. Adams was a prominent leader against the Stamp Act and in response he wrote an article know as the Essay on the Canon and Feudal Law. John Adams had a very fortunate childhood which makes him the man he was. In 1764 Adams married Abigail Smith from Weymouth, Massachusetts his third cousin. Abigail was an intelligent women who became Adams political partner. Adams and her wrote letters to each other revealing the deepest thoughts of the two. Together they had six children. Their first child Abigail Amelia Adams, who was born July 14, 1765, who stayed with her mother while the boys were away. Then John Quincy Adams who was born July 11, 1767, who later became the sixth President of the United States. Then Charles Adams who was born May, 29, 1770, who is known as the child who was disowned by John Adams. And finally Thomas Adams who was born September 15, 1772. Unfortunately, two of the six kids passed away, Susanna Adams who tragically died before the age of two and Elizabeth Adams who was a stillborn. John Adams political career took off in 1770, when Adams represented the British Red Coats for killing civilians in what is know known as the Boston Massacre. “He believed that every person deserved a defense…”(John Adams, Bio). Because...
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