THE BOSTON MASSACRE OF 1770.   Term Paper ID:4723 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Describes events leading up to the clash between the people of Boston & English soldiers, the massacre & its ramifications.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Describes events leading up to the clash between the people of Boston & English soldiers, the massacre & its ramifications. Paper Introduction: On the fifth of March, 1770, the people of Boston were close to open armed clashes with the King's authorities and soldiers. The seeds of revolution were not only planted but - were ready for the harvest. The night of the fifth, at 9 p.m. - a snowy, moon-lit night an angry and excited mob precipitated an encounter with sentries at the Boston Customs House. In the erratic gunfire that followed, five Bostonians were killed. The dignity of the courts, the vindication of the sentries by lawyers Josiah Quincy and John Adams, first restored order and eventually gained legal acquittal for the sentries from the Massachusetts Courts. But, by the time that accomplished, the fires of the first 'Battle of the Revolution' had spread far beyond Boston, to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina. In Boston, the principal sower of seeds was Samuel Adams. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. This memberof the famous Adams family was professedly a man of the people, endowedwith ability to unite the discontented, possessing keen talent in use ofthe written word to articulate those dreams of liberty that moved themasses. It is only necessary to understand theessential radical nature of the Gazette to recognize the kinship of thisnarrative to well-established editorial policy of the Gazette. It may be true that immediately the townsmen were far more guilty than the soldiers. . An even more tragic fact of theMassacre is that on that very day, March 5, Lord North had risen in theBritish House of Commons to propose and secure approval of the repeal ofthe infamous Townshend Duties, a major source of political conflict betweenthe colonies and England. The seeds ofrevolution were not only planted but - were ready for the harvest. Defended by John Adams and Josiah Quincy, all were acquittedof murder on basis of the evidence, only two being punished for man-slaughter by the branding of their hands. . on this the captaincommanded them to fire, and again cried, 'Damn you, fire!' . In fact, that night there wasonly one sentinel in front of the Customs House, the rest of the men onduty were inside, obviously warming against the snow and cold. "It is time for me to go." And he went off to join his regiment (Zobel 199).The next morning Samuel Adams was on hand and at town-meeting demanded bothregiments be removed, and Governor Hutchinson so ordered. The inflammatory nature of this narrative, its distortions andactual lies, its bias, its neglect of truth most of which could have beendetermined in the days following the Massacre, all were deliberately aimedat provoking insurrection. There was little to do other than shine boots and leather. Vol. . Chronicles of America Series. New York: Harper and Row, 1967.Zobel, Hiller B. He created public attention in debates and through the press. and continuing to drive thepeople off, pricked some in several places . Samuel Adams wrote each week for thisand the Gazette, using various disguises - Candidus, Valerius Poplicola, orVindex. But the shot was enough and both sides lostall control, even though Captain Preston continued to run among his men,shouting "Don't fire", but the affair was now out of control. His clear aim was to win a dialectic victory and to prove that illwill existed simply by describing it, however fanciful (Becker 182). Hewas a constant gad-fly in agitation for the rights of the colonists asBritish subjects. New York: W. Boston Gazette (March 12, 177 ).Channing, Edward. . The story begins by citing "the destructive consequences ofquartering troops among citizens in time of peace . the Boston Journalof Occurrences . "Captain Preston with a party of men withcharged bayonets came from the main guard . . At Murray's barracks, British Captain Goldfinch, talking quietly with his officers, heard the shot. . Oxford History of the American People. "The soldiers acted decently enough,no doubt; but their manners were very British and their coats were very redand their simple presence conveying every day the suggestion of compulsionwas an intolerable grievance" (Becker 127). . Soon there were 5 -6 men, carrying sticks,bludgeons, shouting taunts and names like "bloody-back" (Howard 2 4). . Again, the Gazette. It so happened that at the subsequent trial Judge Oliver ruledthe soldiers were entitled to self-defense in the case of insurrection.The situation needed only a spark to ignite the fire that was to spreadthroughout the American colonies; that spark was not struck by the Britishsoldiers guarding the Boston Customs House on the night of March 5, 177 . . The pattern for so doingis too clear not to give him authorship, even down to a similarity ofphrases used in others of his articles (Morison 2 1). Suffice it to say for the purpose here thatthis proclaimed degree of trouble is not found in any reliable source."The soldiers at Boston had generally conducted themselves in an exemplarymanner, although there had been some lapses from good behavior" (Channing118). In so dropping the musket fired.It could not have been aimed at the negro, Crispus Attucks, it was aimed atno one but the sky, it was a single-shot musket that had to be re-loaded.Further, authorities agree Montgomery's fall was aided by the ice,completely destroying balance. The incident of the Customs House gave Adams that issueand it was to obscure the truth for many generations. was an attempt to fire upon or push withtheir bayonets the persons who undertook to remove the slain or wounded".In contrast these are the documented facts from a variety of authorities."After they (the main guard) had been taunted and stoned (probably snow-balled intended) for half an hour, one soldier, who had been hit by a club,lost patience and fired without orders" (Morison 2 ). Latertestimony revealed they had to be called out when the sentinel was firstaccosted. The real responsibility rests upon the "statesmen" who created the conditions rendering such a result almost inevitable (Howard 2 5).For this, Samuel Adams, above all others, must bear the retribution ofhistorical justice. . Deprived of a fire, for their snowballs nobetter target existed than the single sentry on duty at the Customs House(Becker 128). Evenafter the trial of the soldiers, Adams got a "martyr" version in a seriesof articles and spread them through the New England and New York areas. Earlier that evening there had been a false alarm of fire, forwhich the customary bells were rung. Seven months later, Captain Preston and his men were tried before aBoston jury. A Captain Preston was in charge. The American Revolution Reconsidered. Preliminaries of Revolution--Troops in Boston, 1763-1775. In Boston, the principal sower of seeds was Samuel Adams. "Many have been the squabbles between them andthe soldiery . He had formed a system of town committees ofcorrespondence, composed of the leading radicals of the province (Channing122). Dock-workers, sailors, waterfront idle, started afight in which a civilian was killed. The British soldiers are pictured in a straight, formalfiring line; orders to the contrary were introduced at Captain Preston'strial and corroborated. Hutchinson recordsin his diaries - a generally accepted authoritative record - There was not a greater incendiary in the King's Dominion or a man of greater malignity of heart or one who less scruples any measure however criminal to accomplish his purposes (Becker 175).Adam's nickname has become "The Great Incendiary". In essence, nerves in Boston werestretched thin on both sides. Yet this window so depicted is on the other side of the Square(Channing 12 ). But, by thetime that accomplished, the fires of the first 'Battle of the Revolution'had spread far beyond Boston, to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and NorthCarolina. Paul Revere was not in attendance that fatefulnight. It ishighly circumstantial though not absolutely evidentiary that Samuel Adamswrote the March 12 article in the Boston Gazette. At the peak of themelee, therefore, it is clear an incident took place that triggered thewhole affair. Down on his backside he went, hismusket dropping to the ice" (Zobel 198). Vol 3. . we may venture to declare that it appears too probablefrom their (soldiers) conduct that some of the soldiery aimed to draw andprovoke the townsmen into squabbles." This comment refers to a fight onMarch 2 at Mr. Gray's rope-walk works. The windows of the houses surrounding the Squarewere hardly flood-lit. On the fifth of March, 177 , the people of Boston were close to openarmed clashes with the King's authorities and soldiers. New York: Oxford Press, 1965.Morris, Richard B. . . Works CitedBecker, Carl. Hutchinson hoped to diminish Adam's influence on theconduct of the government, to which, he, Hutchinson, was honorablydedicated, by showing Adam's facts were wrong and his influence not to betaken seriously; I have taken much pains to procure writers to answer the pieces in the newspapers which do so much mischief among the people (Becker 181).The local radicals in Boston got out a weekly scandal sheet, The Journal ofPublic Occurrences, which they circulated throughout the colonies.Imaginary scenes of drunkenness and outrage were depicted with littlechance of rebuttal (Morison 2 1). "Quartering troops in Bostonand surrounding the town with an armed fleet did not prove an effectivemeans of reconciliation but more than two years passed away without riot orserious collision . "One of thesoldiers was presently knocked down" (Becker 128). New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 1918."The Boston Massacre". For this reason, the soldiers never ventured out alone, astandard order for their deportment. Samuel Adams and Governor Hutchinson found in each other principalliterary antagonists. At times, these ill-fed, ill-paid men hired themselves out for menial jobs at low wages which alsobrought on tie wrath of the Boston unemployed or naval hangers-on. At such times, many people venturedforth, for a fire was a welcome relief from the tedium of winter, thoughdisaster for the owner of property. and whatshowed a degree of cruelty . . On such a night as this, a slimmusket barrel could not have been seen at any distance exceeding a fewfeet. There is again no evidence of such action on the part of theBritish soldiers. Thenight of the fifth, at 9 p.m. Norton, 197 .----------------------- 11 That night snow was on the icy ground, though the sky was clearand moon-lit. For his purposes, he needed a spectacular and emotionalissue, especially in contrast to a period of great colonial prosperity whentrade between England and the Colonies and Boston had reached new highs.The radicals were perfectly willing to let the "mobocracy" do their dirtywork so even the "establishment" could have the best of both ends of thecolonial situation. Oneach successive year, until replaced by the Fourth of July, the Sons ofLiberty took their cue from Adam's polemics to keep up resentment againstthe British, organized "orations" and displayed the notorious Paul Revereengraving of the massacre - much in the nature of a political rally. As propaganda, the picturewas effective. "I thought it would come to this", he said. Examination of this historical event is not for the purpose ofdetermining virtue or evil, on either side, but rather to serve theevidences of true historical fact. As propaganda, it becomes equally liable to precisescrutiny. The absolute order he gaveconstantly, according to regulation, was "Don't fire! The engraving is based purely on biased hearsay (Zobel, 198). Additionally, the Bostonians knew thesoldiers were forbidden to fire, that the only authorization to fire couldcome from the Governor, a well-publicized order for the interest of goodconduct. on the whole they (soldiers) acted with prudenceand self-control" (Howard 2 4). History of the United States. The first of March, 177 ,a few soldiers had taken part-time jobs at Gray's where the regular workmenhad gone out on strike. In addition, Bostonians knew the relativeweakness of the 14th West Yorks and the 29th Worcester Regimental troops, aforce too small to be effective, yet strong enough to be a constantirritant. . Boys in particular respondedvigorously to such occasions. from time to time afforded many striking instances ofthe distress." Admittedly the presence of the British soldiers was anunwelcome affair but the purpose here is not to debate issues of Britishpolicy toward the Colonies. Thelone sentry, at this time, called inside for assistance and the main guardof some 2 men was called out, with seven actually confronting the mobwhich by now had increased, like bees on honey, to several hundred men andboys. In the erratic gunfire that followed, five Bostonians were killed.The dignity of the courts, the vindication of the sentries by lawyersJosiah Quincy and John Adams, first restored order and eventually gainedlegal acquittal for the sentries from the Massachusetts Courts. Yet Revere depicted the Boston assemblage as adocile, stunned group of some 2 citizens; there is fact piled upon factthat there was an angry mob. The Gazette claimed "severalsoldiers of the 29th regiment were seen parading the street with theirdrawn cutlasses and bayonets, abusing and wounding numbers of theinhabitants". The evening of March 5 and those preceding were notnight whose temperature favored such antics. A clear copy of the engraving shows a musketprotruding from one of the windows facing the troops, as evidence ofBritish duplicity and evil planning. They were preferred by the "ladies" of thetown, much to the resentment of the locals. Theyhad no access to the social life of the city, and were constantly tauntedin person and in the press. One week after the nocturnal events of March 5, the Boston Gazette,March 12, 177 , published a short narrative/editorialabout the causes, events, and disastrous results of the Massacre (Morris1 4-11 ). While not directly related to the events of the night of March 5,this indictment against the famous Paul Revere drawing must be made, ifonly as indicative of the general frame of inaccuracy and deliberatefalsification used by Adams and his associates. Examination of the indictments contained in the Gazette's story arenow in order. W. Don't fire!" Back to the Gazette. "A club arched through the moonlight, squarely catchingMontgomery (one of the seven guards). - a snowy, moon-lit night an angry andexcited mob precipitated an encounter with sentries at the Boston CustomsHouse. Life was very dull for the "occupation"troops. A group, described by John Adams, as negroes, mulattoes,Irish teagues, and outlandish jack-tars" joined happily in the pelting andteasing (Morison 2 ). 8. New York: MacMillan, 1918.Howard, George. It was not a night for sharp observation, in view of thecold and the excitement. . "The British red-coats wished to be friendly with the populace butwere taunted as 'lobster-backs', ambushed, beaten up by waterside toughs"(Morison 199). Therewere occasional street fights in the early days of the troop quarteringmuch as a modern struggle between picket lines and workers, while the mobstaunted the troops with cries of "bloody-backs". The Eve of the Revolution. The Boston Massacre. Unique circumstances surround thisaffair which are again the result of the military occupation but not theresult of British planning. New York: Harper and Row, 1967.Morison, Samuel Eliot. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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