The Boston Massacre

Paper Summary:

This paper describes the actual events that led up to the Boston Massacre and contends that the chaos leading up to it was, in fact, a riot that was born from a couple of young boys throwing snowballs at soldiers which caused the soldiers to fire back killing 5 civilians. The paper then examines the trial of the soldiers afterwards and concludes that, in spite of its tragic ending for those who were killed, the Boston Massacre set the stage for the freedoms enjoyed by Bostonian's today.

From the Paper:

"Bostonians detested the coming of the troops. For years, Boston had fought against contravention by Britain of their right to tax themselves. Under the reign of King George III, in 1768, British military troops were stationed in Boston in an effort to maintain control among colonists and to help enforce the Townshend Acts of 1767. To impose these acts and stop smuggling, the British utilized blank search warrants (or writs of assistance) to give officers the right to search any building for any reason (Boston Massacre Historical Society, n.d.). The colonists were uneasy and scared with the troops stationed in Boston. Their very presence was resented and led to multiple outbreaks, leading up to the events of March 5, 1770."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Brooks, V. (1999). The Boston Campaign: April 1775-March 1776. Combined Publishing: Conshohocken, PA, 1999, p.14.
• Cause Celebre (2006). Dictionary.com. Retrieved December 12, 2006 from http://www.dictionary.com
• Colonial America Boston Massacre 1770 (n.d.). U-S-History.com. Retrieved December 12, 2006 from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h644.html
• Holt, J. (1770). An account of a late military massacre at Boston, or the consequences of quartering troops in a populous town, March 12, 1770. [New York, John Holt, 1770]. American Memory. Retrieved December 12, 2006 from http://memory.loc.gov/cgi- bin/query/r?ammem/rbpe:@field(DOCID+@lit(rbpe10401000)) ________ (n.d.) Key Figures in the Boston Massacre Trial. Two Private Hughs: White and Montgomery. Retrieved December 12, 2006 from http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/bostonmassacre/keyfigures.html
• Reid, J. P. (1974). A Lawyer Acquitted: John Adams and the Boston Massacre. American Journal of Legal History, 18(3): 189-207.

More papers on The Boston Massacre:

• Essay # 32449 : "The Boston Massacre"
• Term Paper # 97522 : "The Boston Massacre"
• Persuasive Essay # 120630 : "Boston Massacre"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: