Boston Massacre Dbq

Sara Delurski

Mrs. Norris, period 1

Boston Massacre Argumentative Essay

January 6th, 2023

On March 5th, 1770, British soldiers protecting British officials on King Street in Boston fired into a mob of colonists, killing five civilians and wounding six others. This altercation, dubbed the Boston Massacre, was vital for the lead-up to the fight for American independence. The argument on who was at fault for the incident is still in question today. British soldiers claim that they had heard somebody say the word ‘fire’ while the protestors were assaulting the guards, giving them a reason to fire. Colonists claim they fired on their own accord and that the British merely wanted to kill civilians who posed no threat to Britain. However, the colonists

According to Captain Thomas Preston in Document B, “On my asking the soldiers why they fired without orders, they said they heard the word fire and supposed it came from me. This might be the case as many of the mob called out fire, fire, but I assured the men that I gave no such order.” Since somebody shouted the order to fire, the British soldiers were wholly following what they thought was an official order. If nobody from the British ordered “fire,” the Americans could have been firing lethal weaponry. And because they waited for an order to shoot, it proves they did not fire into the crowd solely to put an end to the protest. They waited for a command before dealing with such a belligerent crowd. This evidence supports the idea that the colonists were responsible for the Boston Massacre since the British had not fired without hearing somebody shout the command to fire and that they were solely protecting the crown officials of

According to Captain Thomas Preston in Document B, “On this, a general attack was made on the men by a great number of heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown at them.” This quote is a statement from the commander of the British squad on King Street, Boston. He explained that the colonists had been dangering the lives of the guards on duty. Since the purpose of the soldiers was to protect crown officials, the attack on the soldiers was an attempt to get past them and harm crown officials, which warrants their firing even if nobody gave an order. This evidence supports the colonists being responsible for the Boston Massacre because the British soldiers had a valid reason to shoot a colonist who is a threat to a British crown official or a British soldier, and colonists chucking heavy clubs and snowballs at soldiers were viewed as dangers to both the soldiers and the crown