Analysis of the Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre occurred on Monday, March 5, 1770, at around 6:00 P.M.
before the Boston customs house at King Street. It began as a street brawl between a wig
maker's apprentice named Edward Garrick, who called out to Captain Lieutenant John
Goldfinch, saying that John had refused to pay a bill to Garrick's master. By then, many
people crowded on King Street. Palms, a colonist, had brought forward a club and threw
it at the soldiers. The club struck Private Montgomery, which knocked him down.
Montgomery stood up and grabbed his musket and shot into the crowd without a
command. Palms then proceeded to swing his club at Montgomery, who hit his arm and
then at Capt. Preston. After the Captain was attacked, the eight soldiers fired into the
crowd without a command. In the shoot out people were killed, and three were injured.
The first to perish was a colonist named Crispus Attucks. The colonists used the event as
propaganda against the British. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere were on the side of the
colonists. Later, on October 24, 1770, two trials were held for Capt. Thomas Preston and
subsequently the eight soldiers, this trial was what was considered the legal testimony,
which will be discussed in the 3rd paragraph. The conflict energized anti-British
sentiment and paved the way for The American Revolution.

At the beginning of 1770, there were 4,000 British soldiers in Boston, a city with
15,000 inhabitants, and tensions were running high. The Boston Massacre was the result
of a particular strain in the association of the colonists and the soldiers. The killing of the
Boston Massacre was used as propaganda. Propaganda is using information or pictures to
make people feel or think a specific way. Advertisement is biased information, so the
information derived from it could be counterfeit. Samuel Adams helped the colonists put
up posters to make people go against the British. One famous engraving called " The
Bloody Massacre in King-street" was done by Paul Revere. The shooting was meant to
look like it was on purpose. The picture decrypts the massacre was not an accident but
planned to settle things between the colonists and the "red coats." In the text, it states, "
The British are lined up, and an officer is giving an order to fire, implying that the British
soldiers are the aggressors...British faces are sharp and angular in contrast to the
Americans' softer, more innocent features. This makes the British look more menacing."
This quotation provides support to my analysis of the inscription of The Boston Massacre
because it shows how the painting implies that the soldiers were at fault. The faces of the
British soldiers look like they are relishing the violence. The citizens are displayed to the
left, being fired at, with some injured and some on the floor injured or dead. There were a
small number of citizens in the engraving, and all were shown to be unarmed. The
colonists are dressed fancy like they are going to church. The etching was made to think
that the event happened on Sunday, March 5, 1770, in front of a church. In the
pandemonium, you can spot a dog that does not look very frightened or shocked by the
shooting. For example, in the text, it states, "The colonists, who were mostly laborers, are
dressed as gentlemen. Elevating their status could affect the way people perceive them.
Dogs tend to symbolize loyalty and fidelity. The dog in print is not bothered by the
mayhem behind him and is staring out at the viewer. The sky is illustrated in such a way
that it seems to cast light on the British 'atrocity.'" The text evidence strengthens my
analysis of Paul Revere's illustration because it shows how the mood of the painting
seems to be atrocious and how the dog does not seem to be shocked by the shots firing
around it. This is my analysis of Paul Revere's illustration of The Boston Massacre.

The legal testimony recording of the Boston Massacre for Captain Thomas Preston
was held on October 24, 1770, and his attorney, John Adams, was the most renowned
attorney of the time. The testimony I will be analyzing today will be Captain. Preston's.
According to the textual evidence, the Captain was not at fault for the deaths of the
massacre. In the text, it states, "There was a pause of an uncertain length (eyewitnesses
estimates ranged from several seconds to two minutes), after which the soldiers fired into
the crowd. It was not a disciplined volley since Preston gave no orders to fire." This quote
shows how the statement that Captain Preston made seems to be an accurate description
of what was happening during the shooting. The aftermath of the Boston Massacre was
that Captain Preston called out to the 29th regiment, which then adopted conservative
measures in front of the statehouse. The Acting Governor Thomas Hutchinson was
ushered into the council of the chamber by the crowd. He was able to restore peace, and
he proceeded to promise a fair trial for everyone. In the trial of Captain Preston, he stated
that "They pushed their way through the crowd, and Henry Knox warned Preston, 'For
God's sake, take care of your men. If they fire, you must die.' Captain Preston responded,
"I am aware of it."...As he approached Preston, he asked if the soldiers' weapons were
loaded. Preston assured him that they were, but that they would not fire unless he ordered
it. He stated in his trial disposition that he would not have given the order since he was
standing in front of them." This quotation that was derived from Captain Preston shows
that he was wrongly accused of ordering his soldiers to shoot, whereas, in the engraving
of Paul Revere, he was standing behind the soldiers. This is the analysis of Capt. John
Preston's testimony.
 Based on the analysis of the engraving and Captain Preston's testimony, I believe
that the statement is an accurate description of The Boston Massacre. The illustration of
The Boston Massacre was mean to mislead the audience. The picture was propaganda on
the colonists' part.