An Incident in Boston on March 5, 1770 The Facts about what happened. Before the incident 600 British soldiers had occupied Boston as a police force for two years. They were there to enforce British and tax and custom law that had been resisted by some Boston residents, often violently. The soldiers were not welcome by the townspeople of Boston and hostility had been growing between civilians and soldiers. On March 5, 1770 a crowd of about 400 colonists (all men accept for one woman) confronted a squad of eight British soldiers. The crowd threw snow balls and other objects at the soldiers, many of the men in the crowd carried clubs. The eight soldiers loaded their muskets and formed a single line facing the crowd. Their commander, Captain Thomas Preston, stood in front of his soldiers and asked the crowd to go home. But the crowd, far from drawing back, came close, calling out, "Come on you rascals, you bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare, God damn you, fire and be damned, we know you dare not," and striking at the soldiers with clubs and a cutlass.

S omeone yelled “Fire!” and shots rang out. The soldiers and the crowd battled briefly. As a result of this incident five Bostonians would die – three that night (Samuel Gray, Crispus Attucks, and James Caldwell) and two within a few days (Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr). Six other Bostonians were injured. Captain Preston and eight soldiers were arrested for murder. Preparations for the trial began almost immediately. Witnesses were summoned to appear before the justices and give statements about what they saw, and the British military collected witness statements as well. A Boston lawyer, John Adams, was asked to represent Captain Preston. Adams took the case because he believed the defendant was entitled to a lawyer. He also agreed to defend the eight soldiers. The trials took place October and November 27-December 5, Additionally, may people rushed to publish either in newspapers, letters, or illustrations their version of what happened that night. Colonists called this incident the “Boston Massacre,” but there was great controversy about who was to blame for what happened that night. The controversies lasted for many years after this incident.

Directions: Answer the questions from the Massacre Reading 1. What happened on March 5, 1770? 2. What is the name of the commander? 3. How big was the crowd of Colonists came in front of the British? a crowd of 400 colonist confronted 8 britsh soldiers. captain preston 400 the boston masacre.