The Boston Massacre: March 5, 1770

Two hundred forty years ago, on this very day in history, a small group of British soldiers killed five colonists in the city of Boston.  Colonists were angry about the taxes they paid to England, and very unpopular British soldiers patrolled Boston every day.  Colonists made fun of the soldiers and threw objects at them on March 5, 1770, and the confused soldiers fired their guns into the crowd, killing five men. 

John Adams--a lawyer who would sign the Declaration of Independence six years later--defended the soldiers in a trial despite the anger toward the British in Boston.  None of the soldiers were convicted of murder, and only two were convicted of other crimes.  Even so, the event was named the Boston Massacre, and it became a very important event that led to American independence from England.

Learn even more about the Boston Massacre:

Fradin, Dennis Brindle.  The Boston Massacre.
     Covers the Boston Massacre as a watershed event in U.S. history, influencing social, economic, and political policies that shaped the nation's future.

Santella, Andrew.  The Boston Massacre.
     Discusses the events leading up to the Boston Massacre, including the Sugar and Stamp Acts, and the aftermath of the massacre.

Burgin, Michael.  The Boston Massacre. 
    
Rinaldi, Ann.  The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre.
     Fourteen-year-old Rachel Marsh, an indentured servant in the Boston household of John and Abigail Adams, is caught up in the colonists' unrest that eventually escalates into the massacre of March 5, 1770.