Boston Massacre
Introduction to the event
The Boston massacre was a significant event in the history of the state of Massachusetts as it initiated a movement and unity between the colonial states for the first time. This event motivated the colonial states to start a movement that aims to completely disassociate the colonies from the British. This event consists of a series of violent confrontations between the colonists and British soldiers on March 5, 1770. After arriving in Massachusetts to enforce the taxation laws, the British soldiers were met with intense rebellions against the taxation laws by the colonists. The outcome of this event only escalated the tensions between the colonists and the British, and it led the colonists to embark on a series of other events, and it all started with the Boston Massacre. What started as a small confrontation between the colonists and the British soldiers has turned into an outraged reaction by the American colonists and this event initiated the beginning steps towards what will be the American revolution.
An illustration that shows a British soldier
The stamp used in taxation
What caused the Boston Massacre?
To enforce the taxation laws imposed by Britain, a total of 2,000 British soldiers were sent to Boston to enforce the taxation laws. Those laws include the Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed many products produced in the American colonies, such as newspapers, cards, and other documents. Another law imposed by Britain was the Townshend Act, which involved Britain taxing any products that were imported to the American colonies. The colonists were infuriated by these laws; therefore, they immediately confronted the British soldiers by launching protests against them and the laws that they were enforcing. The colonists claimed that they needed representation in the British parliament to be taxed.
Confrontations between patriots and loyalists (colonists who are loyal towards Britain) became overly frequent. Patriots would often attack stores that sell British-made products and goods as a threat to loyalists. The situation in Boston escalated when a patriot group charged at a store owned by a loyalists’ store and ambushed it on February 22. In response to this, an officer named Ebenezer Richardson tried to put a stop to the ambush by firing his gun at the store, and he shot an 11-year-old boy by the name of Christopher Seider and killed him. The colonists were furious at what occurred.
What happened on the day of the Boston Massacre?
A British soldier by the name of Hugh White was employed at the Custom House, and he was met with a group of colonists who attempted to provoke White by intimidating him. White responded to this confrontation by attacking a colonist with his bayonet. White was then met with a raging response by the colonists as they further attacked him by throwing snowballs and stones, and bells were rung around the city to signal the colonists to join the group of colonists in the attack. At last, White had to call for backup.
In response to White’s backup call, British troops arrived at the Custom House in order to put a stop to the colonists attempts at provoking the soldiers. Tensions ran high as the colonists started attacking the British soldier with clubs. Eventually, one of the British soldiers fired their weapons, and as soon as the first shot was fired, this allowed other soldiers to fire their weapons too. As a result, 5 colonists were killed and 6 people were injured.
One of the casualties was Crispus Attucks, who was an African American and of Native American descent. He was known to be the first person to be killed in the Boston Massacre and the American Revolution. Before the massacre, Attucks managed to escape slavery and went to work in Boston to trade ships.
A portrait of Crispus Attucks
The outcome of the Boston Massacre
Following the brutal massacre, the British soldiers that were involved in this event were ordered to be arrested, and the whole town demanded the soldiers to depart Boston.
American Colonies has developed ill feelings towards the British, and their hatred towards them increased. Additionally, this event developed unity between the states for the first time, and it motivated them to start a movement against the British. The colonists were already infuriated by the taxation laws, but this event encouraged them to start fighting for independence. This event was the start of a series of other events, such as the Boston Tea Party and the Gaspee affair, and all of these events played a significant role in starting the American Revolution.
References
Text references:
Boston massacre. (2021, March 24). Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre
History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). Boston massacre. Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre
Visual References:
“US History I – Daniel Deluna, Santa Ana Community College.” The Stamp Act and the Sons and Daughters of Liberty | US History I – Daniel Deluna, Santa Ana Community College, Lumen Platform, courses.lumenlearning.com/sac-ushistory1/chapter/the-stamp-act-and-the-sons-and-daughters-of-liberty/.
British soldiers in the eighteenth century. (2020, November 10). Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_soldiers_in_the_eighteenth_century
History.com Editors. (2009, October 27). Boston massacre. Retrieved April 19, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre