|
The Boston Massacre was a climax in American history that erupted from a culmination of events proceeding the occurrence. In 1768, the Commissioners of Customs, a group of men hired in Britain and paid from what they collected in America, were concerned by the resistance they met in Boston and demanded that Britain send military protection at once. They had cause for concern. The public, having grown outraged over the Stamp Act, passed in 1763, and the more recent flair over the Townshend Act of 1767, were becoming more proactive in their conflict with Britain's refusal to allow them to tax themselves.
The Commander in Chief of the British Army in America, General Thomas Gage, was in agreement with the commissioners and ordered regiments from Halifax and Ireland to Boston. The 14th West Yorkshire Fusiliers and the 29th Worcestershire, under the command of British Lieutenant Colonel William Dalrymple arrived in September. The arrival of the 64th and 65th Regiments along with a detachment from the 59th Regiment that included artillery and two cannons six weeks later signaled the readiness of British protection of the custom duties commissioners.
Their number was nearly 700 in strength and their presence incensed the Boston community that was already in a near riotous state. The ill feelings were further stoked when Lt. Colonel Dalrymple wanted his troops housed in the homes of Boston citizens. Having become familiarized with the kind of men the troops consisted of during the French-Indian War and understanding them to be both greedy and brutal, Bostonian men weren't inclined to house them with their wives and daughters. The Boston Council made a stand that excluded troops from citizens' homes until all barracks, including the berths at Castle William. Governor Bernard had counted on troops residing with citizens in order to keep peace and maintain a pressure on citizenry capitulation to rulings from London. The Boston Council remained firm, so Governor Bernard was forced to alter his strategy and housed troops in empty factory buildings throughout the city.
For eighteen months Boston had been a city under military occupation. During the interim leading up to the riot on King Street, British troops had treated the citizenry unfairly, posted sentries at public offices, engaged in fights with Boston youth, and utilized Boston Common for corporal punishment of soldiers and regimental exercises.
The incident began with a recurring scenario between soldiers and youths. Edward Garrick, a barber's apprentice hurled an insult at Hugh White, a soldier with the 29th Regiment who was on sentry duty in front of the Customs House. White met Garrick's insult with a hit from the butt of his rifle to Garrick's head. Garrick let out a cry for help, ran to acquire it, and brought back a group of young men. Someone, having heard the commotion, rang the bells of a nearby church. The alarm swelled the growing crowd to 400 people who armed themselves with snowballs, chunks of ice, and later, clubs and a cutlass.
The crowd surged within inches of the soldiers' weapons and taunted with dares to fire. Both factions were frenzied and out of control. The soldiers loaded their weapons and fired into the throng. Among the victims who laid dead, dying, or wounded on March 5th, 1770 were Patrick Carr, a feather maker; James Caldwell, an American shipmate; Samuel Grey, a rope worker; Samuel Maverick, a seventeen year old; and Crispus Attucks. Attucks was thought to have been an escaped slave in 1750 and was, at the time of the massacre, working in the sailing industry and a leader of a march in protest against the Townshend Act. Four of the men died on site while one died later from wounds sustained. Six more men were wounded, but survived.
The soldiers responsible, including Captain Preston whose account is a well known document, and four men from the Customs House were promptly arrested and indicted on charges of murder. They were held in prison pending trial. The Massachusetts Superior Court postponed their trial date until the fall in order to give the Boston citizenry a chance to calm down. In the meantime, all troops were immediately recalled from Boston.
John Adams defended the men at trial. The findings showed that the soldiers had not fired until attacked and all but two, including Preston, were acquitted. The two soldiers who were found guilty of manslaughter were branded on the hand and released.
While Boston and its surrounding communities accepted the verdict without incident, the Boston Massacre was assuredly used to promote the American Revolution. Paul Revere and two other illustrators rushed to put a visual on the "massacre". It's interesting to note that Crispus Attucks is portrayed as white and the soldiers are seen as advancing on the crowd. The drawings were used to inform the American public as well as propagandize the movement toward war.
|
| |
