Boston Massacre
On 5th March 1770, a Boston Massacre occurred. The massacre involved a street fight between a “patriot” mob and British squad soldiers, who were throwing snowballs, sticks, and stones at each other. During the war, several colonists were killed, thus led to the speech-writers campaign that roused citizenry ire. However, in Boston City, the presence of British troops was unwelcomed since they were constantly tormented by irresponsible gangs (Linder n.p). The riot began when 50 citizens attacked British sentinel. The soldiers fired into the crowd and killed killing three people on the spot, and eight others were wounded. Later, a town meeting was held, which demanded the trial of Captain Preston and his men for the alleged murder, and the removal of the British troops. Josiah Quincy II and John Adams were defense lawyers who defended the British troops, thus led to acquittal and release. At the trial, the prosecutors were Robert Treat Paine and Samuel Quincy. After trial, Preston and his six men were found not guilty, thus discharged, while two other men were found guilty of manslaughter and were punished and released from the army.
Moreover, the Boston Massacre is reflected as an important event in the History of America. This is because it helped in uniting the colonist against Britain. In this case, the event that started as a minor fight became a turning point for the beginning of the American Revolution. Also, the Boston Massacre helped in sparking desires among colonists, who increasingly supported the independence of America. On the other hand, the event represented the dead rioters as martyrs who dedicated themselves to the acquisition of liberty.
Work Cited
Linder, Douglas. “The Boston Massacre Trials: An Account”. SSRN Electronic Journal, 2007. Elsevier BV, doi:10.2139/ssrn.1021327.