The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5th, 1770 on King Street in Boston, Massachusetts. 5 men were killed and 6 others were harmed as a result of it. It started as a British guard was being harassed by a mob of angry civilians. 8 more soldiers joined his side who took on what he was going through. Eventually, guns were fired and killed 3 people on the spot, while 2 others died afterwards due to injuries. Now, who is to blame for this incident? Well, the British Soldiers are to blame for the Boston Massacre because they didn’t hear things clearly and they reacted with violence rapidly.
The British soldiers are to blame for the Boston Massacre because they didn’t listen carefully and shot immediately after they thought the captain said to
…show more content…
Although they were being harassed, they weren’t being harmed. In Document D, it states “I went up to the main guard and addressed myself to the captain and said to him What have you done? He said sir, it was none of my doings, the soldiers fired of their own accord…His character is good as a gentleman and soldier. I think it exceeds any of the Corps!” The soldiers firing on their own accord shows they reacted with violence too quickly, as well as their guard never ordering them to do so. The guard was said to have a good character and seemed surprised by the incident as well, so the soldiers most likely didn’t pick this type of reaction up from their guard. This shows that the British are to blame due to reacting with violence quickly because even though they were provoked, that doesn’t change the fact that they still …show more content…
However, it is wrong to fully blame the colonists because they were getting unfair treatment from the British already with taxes. It was merely a protest. “...great number of heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown at them, by which all of our lives were in imminent danger, some persons at the same time calling out, damn your bloods-why don’t you fire.” (Document B) The colonists are seen here provoking the soldiers with their protests, and although it may have been a cause leading to a terrifying effect, it still doesn’t change the fact that the British Soldiers had reacted with violence