On This Day… The Boston Massacre!
Written by: George Chittenden : 07 Jul 2019
It was on this day, 5th March, back in 1770 when the Boston Massacre happened. It started when a small mob started verbally abusing and throwing snowballs at a lone British sentry. The situation escalated when eight British soldiers went to the sentry’s aid and after being abused themselves let loose a volley of shots at the mob.
In total five people were killed, three died immediately and two died later of their wounds. The situation added to the tense relations that already existed between the crown-appointed British soldiers enforcing unpopular Parliamentary legislation and the local population.
The soldiers had been issued no orders to fire on the crowd, so an inquiry was carried out which resulted in six of the soldiers being acquitted of murder, and the other two being convicted of manslaughter and given reduced sentences. The Boston Massacre helped to spur the colonial public towards the Patriot cause.
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