BOSTON MASSACRE
Selase Buatsi & Anna Sneed
Description
The Boston Massacre happened on March 5, 1770. A group of colonists became fed up with British soldiers who were sent to the colonies to enforce the Townshend Acts and rallied around a group of British soldiers. The colonists, who were already shouting and hurling insults, picked up rocks, rolled them in snow, and began to throw the snowballs at the soldiers. The situation escalated quickly and a British soldier shot his musket and hit a colonist. His shot triggered a number of responsive shots and in the end three colonists died instantly, including a black colonists named Crispus Attucks, and two died later of injuries. Eight of the British soldiers along with their captain were arrested but later released.
Significance
The Boston Massacre was used as propaganda and served as fuel for the colonists. They were upset that the British had come into the colonies to start with, and the murder of the ‘innocent’ colonists did not help the situation.
Citation
"Black Killed in Boston Massacre." Black Killed in Boston Massacre. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.historycentral.com/AfiricanAmerican/MassacreVictim.html>.