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Boston Massacre
In my report I will be discussing the Boston Massacre.
I will be looking at the
Boston Massacre from three different perspectives.
These perspectives are the Boston
colonists and Samuel Adams, Tom Hutchinson, Lieutenant Governor and Acting
Governor in 1770,
and Captain Preston and his troops.
I will also hold some depositions
from people who were actually close or at the massacre.
I will be show the differences
on how all three felt about the situation.
Due to great burden from the different acts that brought many unwanted taxes
from the British government, the minds of the Boston citizens were greatly irritated.
Some individuals were so irritated that they were abusive in their language towards the
military.
The colonists felt like they were in a prison.
Everywhere they turned they saw
guards.
These guards would frequently question and harass people just passing by.
Parents were even getting worried for their daughters,
because the soldiers would make
sexual remarks towards them.
Many red-coats were in search of different off-duty jobs,
which meant they would be taking away jobs from the Boston laborers.
Many times
when the soldiers left their barracks and were walking about the town,
carried large
clubs,
for the purpose of assaulting the people.
Many would say that the colonists had every right to be mad and irritated.
But
what about the soldiers. They were just taking commands from the country that they are
defending and fighting for.
To them they were just doing the right thing. But we all
know that they went to extremes by the frequent wounding of persons by their bayonets
and cutlasses,
and the numerous instances of bad behavior in the soldiery.
This also led
the colonists to figure out the England did not send those troops over for their well-being,
but were there just for the benefit of England.
But once again,
they were only taking
orders from England.
Early on the evening of March 5, 1770,
a crowd of laborers began throwing hard
packed snowballs at soldiers guarding the Customs House.
Goaded beyond endurance
the sentries acted against express orders and fired on the crowd,
killing four and
wounding eight,
one of whom dies a few days later.1 Here are the names of the people
who were wounded or killed.
Mr. Samuel Gray,
killed on the spot by a ball entering his head.
Crispus Attucks, a mulatto, killed on the spot, by two balls entering his breast.
Mr. James Caldwell,
killed on the spot, by two balls entering his back.
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- Spring '07
- Carey
- Boston Massacre, John Adams, American Revolution, Massachusetts
-
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