Boston Massacre Essay

With tensions between the colonial townspeople and the higher class British soldiers sparking conflicts, the Boston Massacre was sure to happen at one point. As the most famous story goes, colonists threw snowballs at the soldiers, called them nasty names, and dared them to fire their bayonets. The Redcoats responded as so by readying their weapons and shooting bullets into the crowd. Five people were killed in this incident, including Crispus Attucks (the only African American that was killed.) The real question here is who started it, the Redcoats or the antagonizing colonists? Imagine yourself in the soldier's shoes; Snowballs are being thrown at you as fast as the speed of light, colonists spitting on you and calling you “Bloody backs”
“You bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare!”(The Boston Massacre 1770 British version) “I saw the people throw snowballs at the soldiers and saw a stick about three feet long strike a soldier upon the right.” (Theodore Bliss’ deposition) The point where Redcoats started getting hurt by just standing watch on King Street, they had the right to defend themselves and their fellow soldiers.“...but I assured the men that I gave no such order; that my words were, don’t fire, stop your firing. In short, it was scarcely possible for the soldiers to know who said fire, or don’t fire, or stop your firing,” said Captain Thomas Preston.(The Boston Massacre 1770 British version) “The Captain told them to fire. One gun went off.”(Robert Goddard’s deposition) Whether or not Captain Preston told them to fire, every soldier has a right to use their weapon as a defense. A soldier had shot his gun without consent from any higher rank for the only acceptable reason, his life. “The soldier who was knocked down took up his gun and fired directly.”(James Woodall’s deposition) A few seconds after the first shot fired into the out-of-control crowd, chaos broke out and there were guns going off, sticks being thrown, and people being