Preview

The Greek Massacre Vs The Boston Massacre

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
867 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Greek Massacre Vs The Boston Massacre
The event that occurred on March 5th, 1770 should be named “The Boston Incident” rather than “The Boston Massacre” because the term massacre usually reminds many that many people have been slaughtered. But in the “The Boston Massacre” less than ten people were killed so I wouldn’t consider it a massacre due to very few deaths. From account number two, William Taint says, “People still continued in the street, crying, “Fire, fire, and be damned,” and throw some more snow balls; whereupon I heard a musket go off, and in the space of two or three seconds, I heard the word “Fire” be given, but by whom I do not know and instantly the soldiers fired one after another.” I think that it was the Americans who instigated this incident because they were …show more content…
This might be the case as many of the mob called out fire, fire, but I assured the men that I gave no such order.” This shows that the Americans were attacking the British with clubs and snowballs, which made the British shoot. Again, this account may be biased towards the British, but again it shows that the Americans were attacking the British as in account number two where they were being hit by snowballs. The British were defending themselves because one of the soldiers was hit to the head by a stick and even Captain Thomas Preston was hit with a club on his arm. The Americans were attacking the British and the British had to fire back so I think “The Boston Massacre” should be called the “The Boston Incident” because it wasn’t a massacre by the British because I am convinced the Americans were attacking the British first and that the British were defending

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Midterm Test Review: History

    • 2930 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Boston Massacre-a riot in Boston (March 5, 1770) arising from the resentment of Boston colonists toward British troops quartered in the city, in which the troops fired on the mob and killed several persons.…

    • 2930 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    From this excerpt, we can see how Britain didn’t mean to make a “massacre”. A crowd of Boston boys and men surrounded a number of British soldiers and began taunting and cursing them while pelting them with snowballs. This was the reason of the Boston “massacre”.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Boston Massacre was started by a series of events that included citizens of the colonies tangling up with British soldiers leading up to the March 5th event with soldiers trying to maintain order against the angry, violent protesters. While it is still controversial as to which party is to take the blame for this incident, the violent but non-fatal crowd or the threatened soldiers. Either way, there is no question this event had a major impact on the new nation and as John Adams put it:…

    • 3432 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boston Massacre Dbq

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages

    According to Document 3, Account of the Boston Massacre, “A townsman with a cudgel struck him over the hands with such force…” This writing means that the colonists had clubs to fight back against the British and protect themselves. Although the British had much more powerful weapons, such as guns, the colonist were able to bring much harm to them as well. In Benjamin Edes’, Account of the Boston Massacre, a colonist “aimed a blow at the Captain’s head which grazed his hat and fell pretty heavy upon his arm”. A massacre is defined as an event where a large amount of people are killed and the victims cannot defend themselves. The fact that the colonists had clubs to defend themselves, proves the point that this event was not a massacre. As mentioned…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Someone shouted fire and the crowd grew. Seven soldiers came to rescue the army officer, and were also pelted with snowballs taunted with shouts of “kill them.” When one of them was knocked to the ground he screamed, “damn you, fire!” and the soldiers fired into the crowd injuring 11 and killing 5. This became known as The Boston Massacre, an event in which helped to further push the colonists against Great…

    • 1791 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Defend your actions. Critical thinking 2 In the years leading up to the American Revolution, the British sought to establish firm control over their American Colonies. The Boston Massacre also known as “Incident on king street “occurred on march 5, 1770.On evening of the march 5, a lone British sentry guarded the entrance to the Boston Customs house where officials collected import duties for the king .The sentry got into an argument with a barber’s apprentice and swung his musket at him , hitting the boy on the head .Other…

    • 650 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    British soldiers patrolled the area. People say the soldiers pounced first, but others beg to differ. This story told as from Revere reveals the dark side of the soldiers. It was March, 1770 and another protest had formed this time harassing the soldiers. Then a fire was shot and as from an engraving this was now the “Bloody Massacre.”…

    • 110 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The reason why the Kent State Massacre is the only true massacre between these two happenings is because by definition a massacre is the unnecessary killing of a large number of human beings and because the colonist in the Boston Massacre provoked the British troops by verbally…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Patrick Henry Dbq

    • 2948 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The Townshend customs commissioners there had been at risk as targets of public anger, but this anger now transferred itself onto the at times high-handed Redcoats, who were seen as the military arm of British encroachment. On March 5th, 1770, the Boston Massacre, the culmination of a series of clashes, saw eight British soldiers, pelted with ice and stones, open fire and kill five Bostonians. Though Parliament was subsequently quiet for 3 years, the mood in the American towns had changed to one of tension and imminent confrontation, and this soon spread to the countryside.…

    • 2948 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the years leading up to the American Revolution, many events occurred that not only demonstrated the rising tensions between Britain and the colonies, but stoked the revolutionary spark in America. The Boston Massacre was one of these pivotal events, occurring on March 5, 1770 when an altercation between British soldiers and Boston rebels resulted in the death of five Boston men. There is much controversy as to which party incited the violence, but ultimately the Boston Massacre was a result of the Bostonians’ desire to break away from British control, with the British soldiers only acting in self-defense.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Between a patriot throwing snowballs,stones,sticks and a squad for British soldiers. There was a fight with British and colonist. Colonist didn't have a strong army or weapons to defend themselves. The British were prepared with their strong squad. On the fight several colonist were killed and the led to a campaign by speech writers to rouse the ine of the citizenry. The colonies named this the Boston Massacre. They killed Cripus Attucks he was from the colonist member. The fight happened when a guard hit a colonist. Colonist weren't strong like British but they tried to defend themselves. That's what happened in the Boston…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boston Massacre DBQ

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 and was a catalyst to a large number of changes within the colonies as well as the American Revolution. One question that is often brought up is who is to blame for the actual occurrence? However, there is no question because the British are obviously to blame for the entirety of the event.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    On March 5th 1770 a horrendous war broke out between the British troops and the Bostonians, it was called The Boston Massacre. 6 were killed and 5 were injured both troops and citizens. Some people have tried to blame this war on the citizens and most blame it on the soldiers. The bostonians started the fight but they most likely didn't think that it would escalate to the point it did. They took advantage of the soldier in acting in this way and got what they deserved.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Boston Massacre Analysis

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    One example of this was the Boston Massacre, as included in Document 2. The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770, and it was widely used as propaganda in order to increase feelings of independence throughout the colonies. Eleven civilians were killed or wounded by British soldiers after they had been provoked and fired their guns on a crowd. The Sons of Liberty, and organization formed to protect the rights of the colonists and fight taxation by the British government, especially spread the word of the massacre throughout the colonies, and grossly exaggerated the event in order to sway the colonists towards a separatist agenda. The woodcut by Paul Revere shown in Document 2 has often been criticized for being overly dramatic and exaggerated. In fact, John Adams, an important activist for the separation of America from Britain, defended the soldiers that fired on the crowd in Boston, and justified their reaction by stating that they were provoked and protecting themselves. Secondly, the First Continental Congress of 1774 was extremely important in triggering the American Revolution. After the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773, in which the Sons of Liberty smashed chests of tea open and dumped them in the harbor in response to a tea tax imposed by Britain, the Intolerable Acts (1774) were passed by Parliament. The acts aimed to punish Boston, and the harbor was closed in addition to the Massachusetts charter being revoked. The First Continental Congress reacted quickly to the Intolerable Acts, and the congress urged colonies to organize militias for defensive purposes, as well as urging the citizens not to pay taxes. According to Document 4, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances drafted by the First Continental Congress stated that, “To the grievous acts and measures, Americans cannot submit, but in hopes that their fellow subjects in Great Britain…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Boston Massacre was when a group of colonists came in a mob and taunted British soldiers. One of them panicked and shot at the people. The rest of the people panicked too so they all shot at the colonists. There were 5 people dead including a man who was half African American and half Native American. His name was Crispus Attucks. Paul Revere heard of it and made a picture making the British look really bad to everyone. The cause, the effects, and the people involved were all important to the American Revolution.…

    • 94 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays