mar 5, 1770 - Boston Massacre
Description:
Heavy taxes and tariffs put tension between the colonists and the British. Events such as this became a catalyst for the riot. An argument between a British sentry and locals led to a fight. British soldiers who had learned of this development came to help the sentry and told the crowd to disperse. The locals instead decided to taunt the soldiers into firing and hurled stones and insults. The soldiers, against orders fired into the crowd killing five in a what would ironically be remembered as a massacre. This event would be used by the colonists as propaganda to inspire colonists to join the patriot cause. The soldiers were allowed a fair trial. Several lawyers with Loyalist leanings refused to defend the soldiers. The defendants requested to John Adams to defend them. Although Adams was Patriot, he agreed to defend the soldiers in court. Adams was joined by Josiah Quincy II. With the work of the two lawyers, six of the soldiers were acquitted and only two were charged with Manslaughter. This was one of the major events of the American revolution and John Adams claimed that the "foundation of American independence was laid."
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Revolutionary War
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