The Boston Massacre

1767-1770

When was the Stamp Act put in place?

1765

When was the Stamp Act repealed?

1766

What happened in 1767?

Britain passed the Townsend Acts because they still wanted the colonists to pay their debt

The Townsend Acts taxed glass, tea, paper, and lead

British sets up board of commissioners to keep track of the paperwork regarding colonial merchants selling taxed goods

British set up 3 more Vice Admiralty courts in Philidelphia, Boston, and Charleston

Shows that the BRITISH ARE BACK!

What happened in summer of 1768?

British dock John Hancock’s boat, The Liberty, for not having papers for carrying Spanish wine

Bostonians stone customs agents

Britain brings 4000 soldiers to Boston

What was the significance of bringing 4000 British soldiers to Boston?

There were about 20,000 Bostonians before, making the population now 24,000 with the 4000 British soldiers. This means that 1 in 6 people are British

This caused TENSION

What happened in January 1770?

British soldiers start taking colonial women and jobs, causing tension

1\.5-2 years of rising tension

What happened in February 1770?

there was a protest at British house, British soldier killed an 11 year old

What happened on March 3, 1770?

There was a colonist vs. soldier fight on a dock because of the tension

What happened on March 5, 1770?

The Boston Massacre, at 5:00 pm

What events transpired that caused the Boston Massacre?

1. drunk colonist confronts British soldier
2. soldier knocked colonist in the head
3. colonist went back to the bar and told everyone what happened
4. a mob of 250 colonists (who had all been drinking) started attacking 9 soldiers
5. after hearing a shot go off, the soldiers fire 1 round, killing 5 colonists
6. Crispus Attucks (AA + NA, big guy) was the first shot

the whole thing lasted 1-2 minutes

What happened in the summer/fall of 1770?

8 of the British soldiers went on trial for murder; 6 went home immediately and 2 were found guilty and got branded

What was significant about the trial regarding the Boston Massacre?

John Adams defended the soldiers, saying that “in America, we don’t subjugate the law, we vindicate it”, which ended up helping the British