Boston Massacre
At a glance:
- Series: Great Events from History: North American Series
- Categories: Social Issues, Reform, and Protest, Military History
- Subcategories: Colonialism, Colonies, Settlements, Revolutions, Rebellions, Uprisings, Riots, Violence, Massacres, Genocide, Torture
- Curriculum: American Colonial History (1607-1775), British History, 18th Century European History
- Geographical Location: New England, Boston
- Date: March 5, 1770
Article abstract: American fears of British standing armies result in a bloody confrontation and epitomize colonial unrest.
Summary of Event
On the night of March 5, 1770, a small crowd gathered around a soldier at the guard post in front of the Customs House at Boston, accusing him of striking a boy who had made disparaging remarks about a British officer. John Adams depicted the hecklers as “a motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes and mulattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish Jack tars.” The sentinel’s call for aid brought eight men from the...
[The entire page is 1336 words long]
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