The Boston Massacre was an event that took place on March 5, 1770 in front of the Old State House, seat of the British governor, in Boston, Massachusetts.
The event is seen as part of the beginning of the American Revolution. Tensions due to the military occupation of Boston by Great Britain led to a regiment of soldiers opening fire on a group of civilians. John Adams, second president of the United States, said that the American Revolution had begun with this event.
The incident was preceded by a skirmish between young Americans and English soldiers at John Hancock's yard on March 2. The visibility of the garrison was already reduced to a necessary minimum afterwards, but the young people sought the guard at the State House to challenge the soldiers.
The unrest began when Edward Gerrish hit a British guard in a scuffle, after which other Boston residents came to the rescue of the American young man. With this they faced a small British regiment, and threw snowballs and garbage at the soldiers. The violent crowd grew as the night progressed.
In the commotion, the order "Not firing" from the duty officer was probably misunderstood, after which the soldiers opened fire. Five Americans were killed, and six were injured.
Legal proceedings after the massacre took place in a civil court with a jury of six Americans and the aforementioned John Adams as defense lawyer. Six of the soldiers were acquitted, and the other two sentenced for manslaughter. The officer in charge, Thomas Preston, was acquitted because the jury did not see that he had given an order to open the fire.
