The Boston Massacre was a mix of civilian tension against the royal troops that were in Massachusetts.\u00a0 The Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770 when a mob of civilians retaliated against the royal troops.\u00a0 Five civilian men ended up killed by the civilian troops.\u00a0 But what led up the death of 5 men?<\/p>\n
In October 1768 the royal troops were placed in Boston to help and assist with the heavy taxation that was taking place by the Townshend acts.\u00a0 The civilians within the town viewed the royal troops as a threat and not a group to help keep order and help with the taxation.\u00a0 Many small fights were started and it was hard for the royal troops to keep control of the civilians.\u00a0 In 1768 the Commissioners of Customs felt uncomfortable with the civilians and asked for assistance.\u00a0 General Thomas Gage agreed that assistance was needed. The \u201c14th<\/sup> West Yorkshire Fuseliers\u201d and the \u201c29th<\/sup> Worcestershire\u201d Regiments were sent from Halifax to Boston in September.\u00a0 Only six weeks later the \u201c64th<\/sup>\u201d, \u201c65th<\/sup>\u201d and the \u201c59th<\/sup>\u201d Regiments were sent to assists.\u00a0 They arrived with artillery and two cannons.\u00a0 The regiments totaled over 700 men to help protect the taxation created by the King of England.<\/p>\n The civilians did not like that there were so many royal troops within the city and started to retaliate.\u00a0 Paul Revere\u2019s famous ride took place the night the royal troops arrived in Boston.\u00a0 Colonel Dalrymple made the request that each one of his soldiers be placed in the homes of the civilians for room and board.\u00a0 The Boston council and citizens requested that they royal troops stay at the barracks and once the barracks were full, they would board the royal troops in their homes.\u00a0 The royal troops would number the civilians, one royal troop to four civilians.<\/p>\n With the large number of troops that arrived, the civilians were beginning to feel the tension as the royal troops began to get greedy and brutal.\u00a0 Civilians became afraid to let the troops in their home with their wives and daughters.\u00a0 By 1770, Boston had become an occupied town by the British royal troops.\u00a0 The troops started street fights, treated the civilians with insolence and posted sentries in front of public offices and public places.<\/p>\n A young barber\u2019s apprentice, Edward Garrick started the Boston Massacre.\u00a0 Shouting an insult at a solider of the 29th<\/sup> regiment, Hugh White, in front of the Customs House, White knocked the apprentice on the ear with the butt of his rifle.\u00a0 Edward Garrick started to shout out and created a sizeable crowd that came back upset and rowdy.\u00a0 As the crowd started to assemble, someone rang the church bells which signaled for a fire.\u00a0 The bell ringing brought more civilians to the crowd that was turning into a mob.\u00a0 Hugh White stood his ground and called for a main guard.\u00a0 A corporal and six soldiers responded to White and came to assist with the mob.\u00a0 Captain John Preston of the \u201c29th<\/sup>\u201d was the officer on duty also arrived with guns that were unloaded, but had the fixed bayonets.<\/p>\n The mob continued to grow and they started to shout at the soldiers to fire their weapons and attack.\u00a0 As the mob taunted the soldiers, they soldiers loaded their guns.\u00a0 The soldiers fired the guns at the mob and killed five men and wounded six others.\u00a0 Captain Preston and the soldiers were admitted to shooting their guns and were indicted for murder and held in prison pending a trial.\u00a0 The remaining troops were with withdrawn from the town and the men were found guilty of manslaughter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"