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Media Representation Of The Boston Massacre

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On the night of March 5, 1770, the streets of Boston became a battleground, forever marking an important event in American history, the Boston Massacre. Bloodshed and turmoil ensued, leaving behind a legacy that would be examined and reinterpreted for decades, revealing the deep levels of historical significance and societal viewpoint. This research paper explores the intricate dynamics of how initial responses, shifting perspectives, and media depictions have shaped the understanding of this pivotal event. By examining the varied narratives and perspectives from the colonial era to the present, as well as the impact of media representations, we can gain deeper insights into the complexities and historical significance of the Boston Massacre. …show more content…

Seeking to downplay the severity of the event, they portrayed it as a tragic incident resulting from mob aggression. Accounts published in newspapers like the London Chronicle in April 1770 depicted the soldiers as acting in self-defense. According to one such account, the soldiers were "compelled to act in their own defense against the seditious and violent mob" (The Boston Massacre Historical Society). These narratives aimed to justify the actions of the British soldiers and shift the blame onto the colonists, thus shaping a different perspective on the …show more content…

Visual representations, such as Paul Revere's engraving, "The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street," had a profound impact on how the event was perceived. Revere's engraving depicted a chaotic scene with British soldiers firing into an unarmed crowd, reinforcing the colonists' perspective of a deliberate massacre. The image circulated widely and stirred public outrage, solidifying the colonists' perception of the event (The Library of Congress's collection on John Adams and the Boston Massacre Trial of 1770). The power of visual representation in shaping historical memory is evident in how Revere's engraving influenced public opinion and perpetuated a particular narrative of the Boston

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In the early 1760’s, the tension between the people in Boston and the British soldiers started to grow until in early 1770, when the two groups reached their breaking point. On March 5, 1770, a group of men started intimidating a British soldier; he soon called for assistance but eventually the crowd had grown to practically one hundred people. Captain Thomas Preston and seven other soldiers arrived, trying to calm the situation down, but to no avail. A soldier fired into the crowd followed by the other soldiers firing soon after, resulting in five people being killed. Captain Thomas Preston happened to be arrested and charged with murder.

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In two famous engravings of the Boston Massacre, Engraving of the Boston Massacre by Paul Revere and The Fruits of Arbitrary Power by Henry Pelham, viewers are given different views of the same event through the use of various artistic techniques. If one looks closer at these two engravings, it becomes apparent that there are differences between how two groups, American Colonists and British Troops, are presented as good, evil, or morally ambiguous. Through the use of various artistic techniques such as color, shading, facial expressions, and text, Revere and Pelham were able to achieve two different expressions and opinions of the same massacre. While Pelham’s engraving appears more neutral in tone, Revere’s engraving includes much more emotional appeal and

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The Boston Massacre was not called ‘The Boston Massacre’ at first. The original name, was in fact the ‘State Street Massacre’. Another name they had called it was the ‘Bloody Massacre on King Street,’ and Paul Revere was the one who had originally called it the ‘Bloody Massacre on King Street.’ Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott all played a major role in The Boston Massacre. Paul Revere went down in History as the one to ride his horse around the Boston and warn people the British were coming.

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There are many stories to explain the way the Boston Massacre had come to be, but the fundamental fact is that we don’t know. There are two sides presented to us and what actually took place is largely a mystery. The next major event to happen is the Boston Tea Party. They know the colonist drank tea because the colonists adapted that culturally from Britain.

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The Boston Massacre was a very important event that happened in American history. It took place on the evening of March 5,1770. The Boston Massacre led to the American Revolution. My Monument will represent the musket that shot a black man named Crispus Attucks. Crispus Attucks was a symbol for abolitionists.

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On the evening of March 5th, 1770 on the cold streets of Boston, a group of British soldiers gunned down a crowd gathered in protest. What started as a group of young men harassing a guard would quickly escalate into what would later be referred to as the Boston Massacre as well as serve as fuel for the growing anger of the colonists towards Britain. This paper will analyze two accounts of this event. One is of a civilian observer by the name of William Wyatt whose account, while short, is to the point. The other is that of Captain Thomas Preston, the commanding officer of the soldiers involved who gives a much more dramatic description of the event.

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The Boston Massacre Trial It’s March 6, 1770 and tension between the American colonists and the British is palpable. The night before British troops shot and killed five Americans and injured another six during a fight at the Boston Customs House. Colonist Paul Revere claims it as the, “Boston Massacre”. Captain Thomas Preston and his soldiers are on trial for the deaths of the five colonists.

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Which resulted in much propaganda, such as Paul Reevers paints. In his paintings he only shows the soldiers firing at the colonists, and does not include the colonists throwing clubs or snowballs. Paul Revere also over exaggerated the wounds of the colonists to make the battle appear more gruesome, also, he left out wounds that the soldiers received from the colonists. Therefore creating propaganda, and over exaggeration the event to convince that the Boston Massacre was a

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The Boston Massacre Many historians believe that Captain Thomas Preston ordered his men to shot the American colonists of Boston. However, there is evidence that proves this statement to not be true. On March 5, 1770, an altercation broke out in Boston between a British sentry and a group of American colonists. When British troops converged on the scene, an angry mob formed and began yelling insults and pelting them with snowballs and debris.

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The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a “patriot”. They were throwing sticks, snowballs, and trash at a group of British troops. The loyalists got very annoyed with the patriots so they shot into the mob killing five. The riot began when around 50 colonists attacked a British sentinel. A British officer called in for additional troops

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