What Is Site of the Boston Massacre?
This encircled, cobblestone monument marks the site of the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770!
What Makes It Historical?
Deep in debt after the Seven Years War, the British Parliament decided that their North American colonies would help them foot the bill! First, they passed the Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed all paper products, then the Townshend Acts of 1767, which taxed glass, lead, paint, paper, tea, and more! But the colonists weren’t about to pay those taxes, not without representation in Parliament! Influenced by pamphlets like “Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania” and the “Massachusetts Circular Letter” by Samuel Adams and James Otis, Jr, 24 New England towns began a boycott of British goods in January of 1768!
Well, the Brits weren’t having that, and they sent waves of troops into Boston to enforce the acts, up to 2,000 of them by 1769! Tensions flared, and skirmishes between Boston patriots and British redcoats were pretty common. It was on the cold night of March 5, 1770, in front of the Boston Town House, that a mob of angry colonists began heckling Private Hugh White, the only guard on duty. He hit one of them with his bayonet, and they began pelting him with snowballs. He called for backup, and Captain Thomas Preston brought in reinforcements!
That escalated the situation even further, and after the colonists began hitting the soldiers with clubs and sticks, someone heard “Fire!” and shot! Black dockworker, Crispus Attucks, was later memorialized as the first martyr of the Revolution. He was joined by Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Car, the scene later etched by Paul Revere and circulated throughout the colonies. Ironically, the Boston Massacre happened on the same day that Lord North asked Parliament to repeal the Townshend Acts, but what was done was done. The colonies were on the road to war!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Become a member of Revolutionary Spaces!
- Donate to the Freedom Trail!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
Corner of State and Congress St
Boston, MA 02109
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!