Existing comment:
The Boston Massacre:
The use of British soldiers to maintain order in the colonies resulted in a fatal encounter.
When Britain stationed troops in Boston, many colonists feared that the king intended to rule by force of arms. Scuffles between soldiers and protestors became commonplace. On March 5, 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd that had been pelting them with insults and snowballs. Five colonists were killed.
John Adams, who defended the soldiers in court, portrayed the victims as "a motley rabble of saucy boys... and outlandish jack tars." Others saw them as patriots. Popular leaders pointed to the "massacre" as evidence that a standing army threatened American liberty -- and American lives. |