How did the Boston Massacre Happen?

Before the trials of the British soldiers and the Boston Massacre began, the negative interactions between both groups began way back in 1768 when the British army was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts. The British published several taxations on several goods the colonists had in their lives. These goods include paper and tea. According to Zobel's chapter Violence Over Stamps, the reason why the taxes were implemented was to raise money to pay off the debt England had accumulated. The nation had been in debt after the French and Indian War years prior to the events of the Boston Massacre.

Despite the reason for the taxes to be put in place, the colonists were not pleased at all since the goods that were taxed were needed for several things. For example, paper had multiple uses such as college diplomas and liquor licenses. These taxations would cause some to boycott these goods and the creation of the Sons of Liberty. This radical group used to be called the Merchant’s Club since the merchants had been heavily affected by the new taxes the British had established upon their arrival. One of their actions against the taxations on certain goods was the Boston Tea Party when they dressed up as Native Americans to dump the boxed up tea into the cold Bostonian waters.

Interactions such as the ones from the Sons of Liberty had made the relationship between the Bostonian colonists and the British army had escalated to the point where it leads to violence against each other. The most violent interaction between both groups was the Boston Massacre of March 5th, 1770. The event would start in the evening, leaving both groups to attack each other. Colonists had fought and injured the soldiers with their weapons. The soldiers fired back at the colonists, three of which had died immediately. By the end of the massacre, the colonists Crispus Attucks, Patrick Carr, Samuel Maverick, Samuel Gray and James Caldwell had perished that fateful night.