Existing comment:
The 250th anniversary
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre became a symbol of British tyranny and an important stepping stone on the road to rebellion. Shortly after the skirmish, the Boston Evening-Post published an ode to the victims, attributed to African American poet Phillis Wheatley, who lived a short distance from the clash. March 5th became a day of mourning in Boston through the end of the Revolutionary War. In her play The Adulateur, historian, poet, and playwright, Mercy Otis Warren predicted that revolution "May soon arrive, when murders, blood and carnage / Shall crimson all these streets." Crispus Attucks, killed in the attack, became an early hero of the American Revolution and an enduring symbol of liberty for African Americans. From its early use as a flashpoint for revolution, the Boston Massacre endures an event inextricably linked to American independence. All items on display are reproduced from the collections of the Library of Congress. |