The Boston Massacre was and is still a debatable Massacre. The event occurred on March 5, 1776. It involved the rope workers of the colonial Boston and two British regiments, the twenty-ninth and the fourteenth regiments. Eleven people were shot in the incident; five people were killed and the other six were merely wounded. The soldiers and the captain, Thomas Preston, were all put on trial. All were acquitted of charges of murder, however the two soldiers who fired first, Private Mathew Killroy, and Private William Montgomery, the two soldiers were guilty of manslaughter. The causes were numerous for this event. There had been a nation wide long-term dislike towards the British, and a growing hatred towards them by the people of Boston. Even before the two regiments were sent in to monitor Boston there was a growing feud before the two sides. The population of Boston in 1765 was over twenty thousand people, and it was the second largest city in the country. The city was split up into two political factions, the loyalists, also known as the â€ce Toriesâ€I were loyal to the British nation and respected and followed their policies.
The other group was the Patriots, they too pledged alliance with the British, but they also believed strongly in their colonial rights, and more often then not went against parliamentary decisions. America still had not declared independence from England in 1765, and was expected to follow the rules of the parliament and the King. The government like all other states was structured differently, but the people elected their representatives. Unlike the British who let the people vote, but they are â€cindirectly representedâ€I by Parliament. The stamp act was one of the first things Britain did to upset the colonies. John Adams who was a prospering young lawyer at the time, called the Stamp Act â€ce That enormous engine, fabricated by the British Parliament, for battering down all the rights and liberties of America.â€The stamp act put a tax on legal documents, and other paper items. The Americans called this â€o Taxation without representationâ€i, because they didnâ€TMt have any elected officials in Parliament, who were representing them. The Americans petitioned the administration, but the King and Parliament simply ignored our pleas. This act caused the formation of the loyal nine. The Loyal Nine were a group of several Boston artisans and shopkeepers, including the publisher of the Boston Gazette. They made the difference known between top leadership and crowd. The Loyal Nine did a little bit of a recruiting job before taking their actions to the streets. They got the north and south end gangs to unite and work for them. These two groups for years had taken place in a bloody battle each November fifth in order to celebrate Popeâ€TMs Day. The convincing of radicals like Sam Adams, to fight the tyranny of the English instead of each other, brought the groups together.
The leader of the new united gang of northerners and southerners was Ebenezer Macintosh, the previous leader of the south end gang. Macintosh, a shoemaker, fought in the French and Indian war, and also had fought against poverty practically his whole life. The Stamp Act caused a number of riots to break out; the Loyal Nine and their gang conducted these riots. The first riot was directed toward Andrew Oliver, an aristocrat and a wealthy merchant. He was also the brother-in-law of the lieutenant governor of Boston, Thomas Hutchinson. Oliver, and others alike were to benefit from the Stamp Act. The Loyal nine hung an image of Oliver from the liberty tree. Bostonians awoke to this effigy on August 14, 1765. There was a sign on the doll, which read, â€oWhat greater joy did New England seel Than a stampman hanging on a tree.â€l When night fell Macintosh and his mob took the effigy of Oliver down from the tree, and went down to the docks and dismantled the building, which they thought would be the center of the Stamp Act, in a matter of minutes. They then continued to Fort Hill, a small hill that overlooked Oliverâ€TMs house, and proceeded to walk all over the doll and then burned it. Then they stormed Oliverâ€TMs house looking to kill him but he was not there and they destroyed the interior of his house. Oliver had escaped to a nearby island that held the Castle William where he hid out. He was later talked into resigning his position as distributor of stamps.
The next target of the mob was the governor himself. Thomas Hutchinson was believed to support the Stamp Act; he had also grabbed four of the primary political offices, and had secured political appointments for family members. This made him a primary target of mob retaliation. The mob descended on Hutchinsonâ€TMs house with a will. If Hutchinson hadnâ€TMt escaped through the backyards of the neighboring houses he probably would have been killed. The mob continued to turn Hutchinsonâ€TMS house into a shack. If the night had lasted a little bit longer they would have torn the whole structure to the ground. The acts of the mob were not the only form of fighting the Stamp Act. Merchants across the colonies refused to import British goods. The first intercolonial meeting ever was held, representatives of nine out of the thirteen colonies met in New York to petition the King and Parliament. On March 17, 1766 about four months after the stamp act was put into effect, Parliament repealed it. However news traveled very slowly back then, so the colonies didnâ€TMt hear about the repeal until May. The colonies gave a â€oesigh of reliefâ€1 although their content feelings would not last for long. The acting prime minister of England, Charles Townshend had more plans for the colony. He introduced a new bill that called for new customs duties on imports from England. The part about the bill that really alarmed the colonists, was that the revenue collected from the tax was going
to be used to pay the salaries of royal officials in the colonies. This would make the officials independent of colonial assemblies. Sam Adams and James Otis, both active Patriots sent a letter to all the colonies asking for a “nonimportation agreementâ€). While this was going on the prime minister had sent out five commissioners to monitor the collection of the new taxes in Boston. These commissioners were given the right to enter into any random household at any given time to search for smuggled goods. The colonists hated the tax collectors and gave them little of their cooperation .
The officials went too far in June when they falsely accused John Hancock of having illegally smuggled goods aboard his boat, the Liberty. A mob of angry colonists went after the officials, and forced them to flee to the safety of Castle William, which was located on an island in the harbor. When the British officials caught wind of this they ordered four regiments to go and beat Boston into submission to make an example to the rest of the colonies. In September 1768 the two regiments from Nova Scotia arrived and marched up King Street and into the city. Lieutenant Colonel William Dalrymple demanded that the city provide in home housing for his soldiers. The city council denied him this, because they did not have to provide housing for the soldiers until all the barrack space was filled. However soon enough the Soldiers leased warehouses, and were now staying within the city.
As expected there were very bad feelings directed toward one another. The colonists despised the soldiers and the soldiers did not care too much for the colonists. Fistfights were occurring in taverns every night, although the soldiers were not allowed to fight back with out orders under any circumstances. They did not let the colonists get off unscathed. The soldiers were especially not allowed to fire at any one unarmed, with out signed documentation from a royal magistrate, and this was very hard to obtain. The royal governor sent by England asked to return to visit. He took the two regiments from England back to accompany him. This rose the spirits of the colonists; they thought that maybe the other two regiments from Nova Scotia would be leaving shortly also. When their hopes of liberty were shattered the hatred towards the soldiers only got stronger.
Once the colonists found out that the two regiments from Nova Scotia were staying, tensions soared. More fights were breaking out around the city. On March 2, 1770, a certain Private Walker was walking past Sam Grayâ€TMs rope shop, a shop for colonists who lacked any one specific talent, but needed a job. When William Green, a rope worker, saw him and asked if he would like a job, the soldier said that he would like a job. At this William Green replied, â€o Then go and clean my littlehouse.â€. Little-house, back then meant out house. This made the soldier mad and he threw a punch at the rope worker. The soldier was driven off when William Green whistled for his coworkerâ€TMs assistance. The soldier later returned with more men, but the rope workers drove them off again. One more time the soldier came back with more men who were also armed with batons. The rope workers fought back with the planks of wood they used to twist rope with; and for the last time the soldiers were driven, however both the soldiers and the rope workers both new they were destined to meet again. On the morning of March 5, 1770 the city awoke with no notion in their minds that people were going to die on this day. The word that was traveling around the city was that the rope workers, and the soldiers involved in the fight were going to finish what was started. When night fell everything went sour. Edward Garrick a young apprentice was with a group of other young men. Garrick was taunting a soldier, when another soldier who came to back the original soldier up came and said to Garrick, â€ccome closer so I can see your face.â€I When the boy did so the soldier hit him on the head with the butt of his musket. The news of the boy being hit traveled fast through the city and pretty soon there was a mob of people surrounding and yelling at the soldier who had hit the boy.
Captain Thomas Preston was watching what was going on through a near by window. He rounded up some men and marched out to King Street, to come to the rescue of one of his soldiers. When he had arrived the crowd had grown to about three hundred people. He ordered his men into a semi circle. The crowd saw them raise their muskets, but did not run, because they were under the impression that the soldiers could not fir without orders from their commanding officer. Soon the bells from the church began ringing, which meant that there was a fire. This caused everyone to come rushing out of their homes and join the crowd. In all the confusion a musket shot silenced all, Private Hugh Montgomery fired the shot. Although his shot did not hit anyone, this act inspired more shooting. Private Mathew Killroyâ€TMs follow up shot was more successful than Private Montgomeryâ€TMs. Killroyâ€TMs shot hit Sam Gray in the face blowing a hole through his head. More shots rang out and a black man named Crispus Attucks fell to the ground with two musket balls in his chest. There were shouts from the crowd advising the colonists to charge while the soldiers were reloading, but as soon as they started running more shots were heard. Two musket balls hit James Caldwell in the chest he dropped to the ground where he stood. Another shot struck an Irish immigrant running back to a shop. The shot was said to have â€owent through his right hip and tore away part of his backbone and seriously injured the hip bone.â€l Samuel Maverick a seventeenyear-old boy was running back to his home when a musket ball ricocheted and struck him in the chest. Two colonists had now been killed, three were on their deathbeds, and six others lay wounded.
The colonists needed to take a minute to comprehend and realize what had just taken place on King Street in Boston. Captain Preston was outraged, he was running up the line of soldiers pushing guns to the air yelling â€cecease fire.â€l Preston ordered his men back to the barracks. Boston was soon ringing the bells calling out the militia, the word traveling around was that the British troops intended on massacring the whole city. The council sent letters to other towns to send their militias. Preston watched as the crowd grew from around three hundred, to over a thousand. He called out the whole twenty-ninth regiment to march out side with him. Governor Hutchinson was sent for to try to calm things down. He said that â€oe The law shall have its course.â€l and for the people to all go home. Some of the crowd left at his words but others werenâ€TMt so willing. So he ordered that the British go back to their barracks. Once they had left the crowd dispersed. Captain Preston was arrested at 2:00 AM. He was tried and put in jail to await further sentencing.
The eight soldiers involved were isolated to the barracks and were to be jailed the following morning. Boston was not going to rest until someone was punished for these acts of unnecessary murder. For some reason the judge decided to hold the trial for the soldiers on a different date then the trial of Captain Preston. The two attorneys selected to defend the soldiers and Captain Preston were John Adams and Josiah Quincy Jr. Captain Prestonâ€TMs trial began at 8:00 AM on the morning of October 24, 1770. The trial did not last long, and no documentation of Captain Prestonâ€TMs trial made it through time. The jury found Thomas Preston not guilty of ordering his men to fire into the crowd. Thomas Preston was freed , however he sought refuge at Castle William. The angry citizens did not waste their time going after Preston, for they did not blame him for what happened they blames the soldiers who were to be tried shortly after. The trial of the soldiers was on November 27, 1770. the two attorneys who defended Thomas Preston were defending the soldiers as well. All the soldiers pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. It took the jury only two and a half hours to reach a verdict for the soldiers. One by one the judge called up the prisoners, and the jury read off the verdicts for each, they were all pronounced not guilty for both charges. When they reached Mathew Killroy, and Hugh Montgomery the verdicts were a little different. The jury said that they were not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter.
Back then you were sentenced to death if you were Guilty of manslaughter. When the two soldiers were asked why they should not be sentenced to death they both replied, â€oeBenefit of the clergy.â€l This was a legal device that let first offenders off without punishment, priest used it. They were not put to death. They were set free, but only after they had been branded on the thumb. The Boston Massacre was an event that only strengthened colonial Americaâ€TMs hatred toward the British nation. People could answer the question of whether or no the Boston Massacre was truly a massacre differently. In my mind, yes, it was a massacre, I believe this because in the dictionary it states that a massacre is, â€oe The unnecessary, and indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings or animals.â€l I would have to say five people is a large number of human beings to kill in one sitting.
