The Boston Massacre

The Boston massacre was an event that led to the death of five colonists on the evening of March 5, 1770 at the hands of British Soldiers. This event was turning point leading the American colonies towards rebellion. The upheavals throughout the colonies eventually lead to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, also known as the War of Independence.

The Cause

The events leading up to the Boston Massacre began on June 29, 1767 when British Parliament passed the Townsend Acts which required colonists to pay additional taxes on items such as glass, tea, and paper. The hardship caused by the extra taxes caused unrest within the colonies. In order to maintain peace and control British soldiers were sent to the colonies. The British soldiers arrived in Boston on October 1, 1768. The colonists were unhappy with the arrival of the soldier, which they called redcoats. They voiced their unhappiness with the soldiers by teasing them and picking fights. Soon the colonists gained control of Boston and stopped the soldiers from performing their duties. The tension between the two parties continued to build.

On February 22, 1770 a small riot happened between the colonists and the British loyalists. During the course of the riot rocks were thrown causing damage to a shop belonging to a merchant who was known to be a British loyalist. Christopher Seider, a colonist and school boy, was shot and killed during the course of the riot; a death that was blamed on the merchant known as Ebenezer Richardson.

The Effect


The day of March 5, 1770 started with the arrival of the Twenty Ninth Regiment sent to relieve the Eight Regiment that held the duty of guarding the Customs House located on King Street. The new group of soldiers, who were led by Captain Thomas Preston, was met by a group of angry colonists. By evening, the shouting and noise from the colonists became very loud, drowning out Captain Preston’s command of “Don’t shoot!” The order was misunderstood and the soldiers began shooting into the crowd. Three men died immediately, two other were injured but died from those injuries later. Captain Preston and twelve soldiers were arrested and charged with murder. Four of the soldiers were later released because they had been inside the custom house and it could not be determined that they had ever fired into the crowd.
Seven months after the fatal confrontation, Captain Preston stood trial for the events that had taken place. In October, 1770 Captain Preston was tried for murder and acquitted of those murders in a Boston courtroom. It had been decided that since Captain Preston was standing between his men and the crowd, as well as in the line of fire, he could not possibly have issued a command to open fire. Shortly, thereafter, in November, 1770 the soldiers responsible for firing gun shots into the crowd were tried. There were eight soldiers in total sent to trial for murder. The Boston court declared that six of them had been acting in self defense and were innocent of murder. The two remaining soldiers were convicted of murder because it was proven that they had fired the first shots.

For more information on the Boston Massacre, please, visit the Boston Massacre Historical Society.
For more information on Paul Revere’s engraving of the event, please, visit A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Paul Revere's Most Famous Engraving.