Reasons That Lead To Boston Massacre

On March 5, 1858, black abolitionists gathered at Fanueil Hall for a celebration of the first 'Crispus Attucks Day.' Thirty years later, a monument was erected on Boston Common in honor of Crispus Attucks, 'the first to defy, the first to die.'

Boston was supposed to be spring on March 5, but it was snowing. Not long ago, a captain of the British army bought a wig from a wig master, which had already been paid for. Edward Garrick, the wig master's apprentice, though he hadn't paid yet because of miscommunication. So he came to collect the bill and shouted the name of the captain of the English army to ask him to pay back the money. Unexpectedly, there was a more solid white who dislike apprentices. So, he loudly scolded the apprentice. As a result, they have come into conflict. Thomas Preston, who is the captain of the British guard brought an officer and six soldiers to join the conflict. The soldier that was all around them rashly the residents without the order of a superior. It causes the death of three people and serious injury of six people that two of them were dead later. Finally, no lawyer was willing to assert for soldiers in Boston since the enormous effect of the incident except John Adams who succeeded George Washington as the second president of the United State. Seven soldiers were later set free without charge. And two soldiers who were convicted of manslaughter were not sentenced to prison. The incident fueled the anger of colonists like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. They used the massacre as propaganda, recreating a Henry Pelham painting and distributing copies all over the Boston area to incite the public. Revere misrepresented the painting in such a way as to cast the British in a more negative light. The biggest misrepresentation was the depiction of each side. The Bostonians look scared and out of sorts, while the British looked as if they were carrying out a planned attack. Although accounts differ, there is agreement that the whole thing was a mess, and that in no way were the British organized. The British ended up withdrawing their troops from Boston and positioning them on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. While the Revolutionary War would not start for another six years, this first bloody encounter attracted more attention to radical groups like the Sons of Liberty and set the war in motion.

The bad relations between residents and the British army cause it

Reasons of two aspects lead to it.

Firstly, the town councils refuse to afford barracks to the British army. The town council declared that they should solve this problem of supply house by themselves. Some soldiers live in the government facilities and part of the people lived in Farnell Hall where the town meeting always convoked. It deeply infuriated the local government and get the perception that the British army had ulterior motives. From the beginning, some British had to be stationed in the wild tents. It is the people occupying the bottom of the society that is willing to join the army because of the low salary. At that time, being a soldier was a despised profession and residents rarely looked up to them. Therefore, they reluctant to provide the British army with barracks and prevent the British army to threatened their family. In an army like this, their discipline and morale are impossible to be high. The deserters began to appear for the chill of Boston. Among them, it is not a lack of contribution of encouragement of Boston residents. Eventually, the British army tided over the crisis by renting houses.

For another thing, the British army has oppressed the residents since they were stationed in Boston. They provoked the inhabitant everywhere in the town and this causes plenty of conflict and instability. It made the bad relationship between the British army and Boston residents. That is why historians consider it as an incident that was intentionally launched by the British army. They think this was murder in mind rather than repression for keeping public order.