Boston Massacre DBQ

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.

Probably one of the most important reasons why the British are to blame for the Boston Massacre is their unnecessary behavior. The British Troops killed or wounded American citizens unexpectedly and irrationally (Doc B). This account of events is consistent throughout many other documents, and is the horrible truth. The Americans simply taunted a few of the soldiers who were already out of line. The throwing of rocks and calling of names is not a valid reason to kill.
The natural rights of the colonists are simply stated, and the first is "a right to life" (Doc G). In that time, the colonists were not well organized and any written and obeyed documents meant a great deal. In any society if these rights are abused by an intruder there is a need to enforce them even more. The British Troops provoked the colonists into acting in ways they hadn't before by challenging and threatening the colonists (Doc I). Although these actions obviously led to the Boston Massacre, they were also driving forces of the American Revolution. The acts of violence allowed the colonists to realize that they could stand up to the British by playing the same game. The British were well organized in their attacks while the Americans did not yet have a plan of attack or defense (Doc C). Once the leaders among the colonies realized this, by observing the Boston Massacre, they began to organize forces and strategies of their own. This was critical to the over all outcome of the War in which the American colonies