The Boston Massacre, a conflict between colonists and British soldiers in 1770, is considered a major turning point towards the American Revolution. The soldiers fired on the colonists, killing five and injuring eleven. The incident was labeled a massacre by newspapers, inflaming anger towards British rule. The soldiers were tried but not convicted. The event is reenacted annually and the Old State House is a historic landmark on the Freedom Trail.
The Boston Massacre is an important event in American history, leading up to the Revolutionary War. It has been thought of as one of the major conflicts that infuriated many colonists into considering rejection of Britain’s sovereignty, even though five years elapse between the Boston Massacre and the official start of the war. The event refers to the conflict of March 5, 1770 between colonists and British soldiers.
An angry mob, mostly protesting against the Townshend Acts, gathered outside the Old State House, which contained the Royal Governor’s council chamber. The colonists were also enraged by the growing number of soldiers flowing into the colonies, and especially by the fact that many soldiers worked extremely cheaply during the day, which cut off the jobs available to the colony’s residents. Resentment between the colonists and the British army was considerable and insults were soon exchanged between the soldiers sent to the Old State House to protect it and the colonists.
A private, Hugh White, was overpowered and struck a young boy, Patrick Garrick, on the head with his musket. This further enraged the crowd and more people joined the fray. Eventually, the crowd of some 300-400 was so daunting that British officers fired on the settlers, immediately killing three people, Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray and James Caldwell. Two others died of their injuries, and a total of eleven people were injured.
Ironically, at the time of the “Boston Massacre,” Parliament had just voted to repeal a majority of the Townshend Acts, keeping only the tea tax. Taxes on most other importations had been removed, and what was considered the most offensive part of the Acts, the ability through the Warrants of Assistance to search any dwelling, land or building suspected of containing contraband goods was scrapped. With no direct means of communication with Britain, there was obviously no way for anyone in the colonies to know about the repealed laws.
The Boston Massacre became the official headline of the altercation, especially in newspapers reporting the attack and by those increasingly weary of British rule. In one sense, the word Massacre was certainly hyperbole and the newspapers screamed headlines of massacre implying massive acts of violence for little cause. In truth, the violence, although the killing can never be underestimated, was minimal given what the soldiers perceived as an imminent threat to their lives. The soldiers who fired were arrested and tried, but it’s also important to remember that a jury did not convict them, as the jury found the soldiers were justified in their actions.
Historians point to the Boston Massacre as a major turning point on the road to the American Revolution. It angered the people, creating a desire in many to liberate the country from British rule. This anger was inflamed by newspaper reports, which labeled the incident a massacre, implying the slaughter of innocents, who were in no way responsible for the events. In the soldiers’ defense, an angry mob hurling insults is always a scary thing, and the soldiers had first tried to avoid conflict before the blow to Garrick was struck.
Given the importance of the incident in leading to the Revolution, the Boston Massacre is reenacted annually by the Bostonian Society. The reenactment takes place at the same venue, across from the Old State House. The building itself has become a popular tourist site and is a historic landmark on the Freedom Trail.
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