the boston massacre
...oldiers why they fired without his order and they said that they heard the order to fire but they are not sure who it came from.. “That so from a settled rancor against the officers and troops in general, the suddenness of my trial after the affair while the people’s minds are all greatly inflamed, I am, though perfectly innocent, under most unhappy circumstances, having nothing in reason to expect but the loss of life in a very ignominious manner, without the interposition of his majesty’s royal goodness” The reason for this brawl to be given the name the Boston massacre is quite simple. The riot was given the name the Boston massacre because the British governments authority was not going to be tolerated. On October 1, 1768, a group of British troops arrived in Boston to maintain order in the streets. The civilians of Boston reacted to the arrival of the redcoats as if they were invaders and were insulted by the fact that the British thought they could not maintain order in the streets. The civilians reacted by taunting them, calling them names, spitting at them and trying to get in fights with them. Over the next 18 months the tension between the soldiers and the colonists only became more severe as riots took place in the streets of Boston, people were going out of their way to kill and fight with other people. The events that took place before the Boston massacre could also have had an affect on the reason for this massacre. At the end of the late French and Indian war, the British and the colonists had a strong friendship. This was unfortunately broken up by the stamp act. After the stamp act had begun, all American supplies were taxed and in order to keep this affect going, the British sent soldiers to America to patrol the streets and make sure everything was going all right. The British soldiers were told to choose a city that was convenient for both the soldiers and the civilians. Clearly they chose the wrong city because the civilians did not agree with this. On top of the taxes being enforced on them, they have British soldiers that are unwanted in their city. If the British had not taxed the Americans in the first place, they would not have put soldiers in the streets of the cities of America and this time of difficulty could have easily been avoided. Among the 11 people affected most by this massacre were the following, Mr. Samuel Gray, killed on the spot by a ball entering his head. Crispus Attucks, a mulatto, killed on the spot, two balls entering his breast. Mr. James Caldwell killed on the spot, by two balls entering his back. Mr. Samuel Maverick, a youth of seventeen years of age, mortally wounded; he died the next morning. Mr. Patrick Carr mortally wounded; he died the 14th instant. Christopher Monk and John Clark, youths about seventeen years of age, dangerously wounded. It is apprehended they will die. Mr. Edward Payne, merchant, standing at his door; wounded. Messrs. John Green, Robert Patterson, and David Parker; all dangerously wounded. Unfortunately the only evidence historians have to prove weather or not captain Prescott was guilty or innocent is the testimony of the eyewitness and captain Prescott’s account. Captain Prescott’s account of what happened states that he ordered his soldiers to load their weapons not to fire, and that he heard the crowd yelling fire and this may be the reason the soldiers fired. Prescott also said that someone in the crowd threw a stick at one of the soldiers causing him to fire. Prescott claimed that he reprimanded...