1 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: Happy Saturday, everybody. Coming up on March five is the 2 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: two fiftieth anniversary of the Boston massacre, and back in 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:13,120 Speaker 1: December we talked about the Boston massacre and how patriot 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: propaganda shape the way that it is remembered in the 5 00:00:16,040 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: United States today. Towards the end of the episode, we 6 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: mentioned a game meant for elementary and middle school kids 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: about the massacre. That game does not seem to be 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: online anymore, but the Massachusetts Historical Society still has a 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: lot of primary sources online. One of the things that 10 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: we did want to note before we put this episode 11 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: out again is that in the years since it originally aired, 12 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: there have been numerous really high profile incidents of law 13 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: enforcement officers firing on and killing unarmed people of color, 14 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: and also of a militarized police response to protests. That 15 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,400 Speaker 1: also happened before this episode came out, but it's been 16 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: a lot more widely covered in the years since then. 17 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: So if we were recording this episode today, that probably 18 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: would have affected our approach to the topic and our 19 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: demeanor and talking about it, which is a little jovial, 20 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: because some aspects of this were ridiculous. So enjoy, Welcome 21 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: to Stuff you missed in History Class the production of 22 00:01:14,880 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: I Heart Radios How Stuff Works. Hello, and welcome to 23 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: the podcast. I am Tracy V. Wilson and I'm Collie Frying. 24 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: And I think I may have been desensitized by living 25 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: in today's world of free killings and mass murders, because 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 1: when I hear the word massacre, I think of something 27 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: like the Red Wedding and Game of Thrones, right, or 28 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 1: maybe one of its real world inspirations, which was the 29 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 1: Massacre of Glencoe. And that's when soldiers under Archibald Campbell, 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: who was the tenth Earl of Argyle, watered thirty eight 31 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: members of the McDonald clan. So you think of something 32 00:01:55,920 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: with high volume and pretty um aggressive wholesale killing of 33 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: basically undefended people. Uh So, the word massacre, which is 34 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 1: it brings up way bloodier images than what really went down. 35 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: In our second most requested massacre topic, the first one 36 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: being the massacre Aglinco, which we just mentioned. That's the 37 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,920 Speaker 1: Boston massacre, which at the time was known as the 38 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: Bloody massacre in in King Street, and massacre kind of 39 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: makes it sound as though it was the wholesale slaughter 40 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 1: of a bunch of innocent Bostonians who were just standing 41 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:37,119 Speaker 1: around mining their own business, which is not true at all. 42 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,639 Speaker 1: It was not at all like that. But there is 43 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: definitely a reason why we call it the Boston massacre 44 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: and not the minor Boston kerfuffle with a few unfortunate casualties, 45 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: and that reason is propaganda. Maybe we should start a 46 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: Facebook page to try to change it to the Boston 47 00:02:55,320 --> 00:03:00,160 Speaker 1: minor kerfuffle with a few unfortunate casualtiests. So yeah, that 48 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: that's what we're going to talk about today, what actually 49 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: happened during the Boston massacre and why we call it 50 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: a massacre today and not something else. So we're going 51 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: to talk about the propaganda aspect. But first we need 52 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: to put a little context into the situation. Uh So, 53 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: on June seventeen sixty seven, the British Parliament passed the 54 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: Townsend Revenue Act with the purpose of raising forty pounds 55 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 1: per year to quote defray the charge of the administration 56 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 1: of Justice and the support of civil government. In other words, 57 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: they needed to offset the British government's cost of running 58 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: the colonies, and this put a tax on several really 59 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: common items that were exported to the colonies. From Britain. 60 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 1: Here's the actual list. I find this list delightful. Uh 61 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: for every hundredweight average deploise of crown plate, flint and 62 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: white glass, four shillings and eightpence. For every hundredweight average 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: poise of red lead, two shillings, for every hundredweight average 64 00:03:56,760 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 1: poise of green glass, one shilling and twopence for every 65 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: hundredweight average poise of white lead, two shillings, for every 66 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:10,560 Speaker 1: hundredweight average boys of painters colors, two shillings, for every 67 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: pound weight average poise of t threepence, and for every 68 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: ream of paper usually called or known by the name 69 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:21,840 Speaker 1: of atlas fine twelve shilling and average poise. Is basically 70 00:04:21,880 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: the pounds and ounces weight system that many of us 71 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 1: still used today. And if you are familiar in any 72 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: way with the US on the subject of taxes, you 73 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: can probably imagine how very popular this whole plan was. Yes, 74 00:04:37,279 --> 00:04:40,000 Speaker 1: which is not at all right. And on top of that, 75 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 1: taxation of goods was already an extremely sore subject in 76 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: the colonies. In sevent sixty five, Parliament had passed the 77 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: Stamp Act, which was a tax on quote, every skin 78 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: or piece of vellum or parchment or sheet or piece 79 00:04:53,480 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: of paper, and paper and vellum for different uses were 80 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: subject to different rates of tax. So the Stamp Act 81 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: was supposed to fund the defense of the American frontier, 82 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 1: and the colonies objected to the whole idea of using 83 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: attacks to raise money rather than to regulate commerce. And 84 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: the colonies were very concerned about the President that that 85 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: that this set that you know, Britain could just say, 86 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: who here have attacks now that we're going to use 87 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: to raise lots of money. This uh led to the 88 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: colonists responding to the Stamp Acts with protests and violence, 89 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,680 Speaker 1: and consequently Parliament repealed it in seventeen sixty six, although 90 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: and basically the same breath, it also passed what was 91 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,000 Speaker 1: called the Declaratory Acts, and those more or less said, hey, 92 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: Britain can pass laws for the colonies and the colonies 93 00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:42,760 Speaker 1: have to follow them, and too bad if you don't 94 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: like it. So just a couple of years behind, the 95 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: Stamp Act, which was so very wildly popular, of the 96 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: Town in Act also went over poorly, so poorly in fact, 97 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: that the British government had to send regiments of regulars 98 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,560 Speaker 1: to Boston just to keep the peace. Customs officials were 99 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: being her asked and threatened as a result of these taxes, 100 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,719 Speaker 1: and the governor wanted military help just to help restore order. 101 00:06:06,080 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: So the regulars, who became increasingly known as the Red Coats, 102 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,040 Speaker 1: started arriving on October one of seventeen sixty eight. So 103 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: you may recall from our recent episode on the Hessians 104 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: that deploying troops to the colonies from Britain was an 105 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: extremely long and time consuming task. So that is why, 106 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:24,479 Speaker 1: even though it had been quite a while since the 107 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: Act was passed, uh, many many months later did the 108 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: military show up to try to tom things down. And uh, 109 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: the people of Boston didn't not really like this one bit. 110 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: On top of the principle of a military force just 111 00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: showing up to make them behave themselves, soldiers were also 112 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: raising the competition for jobs because they would sometimes take 113 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: on additional work in their off hours to supplement their income, 114 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: and they were willing to take less money because they 115 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: also had their pay as a soldier. So consequently, the 116 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: citizens of Boston greeted the Red Coats with Thomson jeers 117 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 1: and a lot of fighting and spitting, and all in all, 118 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:07,240 Speaker 1: relationships between the troops and the city went extremely poorly 119 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 1: for about eighteen months before the tensions really started to 120 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,520 Speaker 1: rise in March of seventeen seventy. By this point, people 121 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: were trying to get shopkeepers to stop selling imported products 122 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,840 Speaker 1: from Britain entirely, and also vandalizing stores that did carry 123 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 1: British products. So in the days after the massacre a 124 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,800 Speaker 1: packet of military depositions was sent back to England which 125 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: described the environment uh this way. From the British perspective. 126 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: Whoever has conversed much with those who have been lately 127 00:07:36,560 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: at Boston must know that the arrival of the King's 128 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: troops at that town in seventeen sixty eight was exceedingly 129 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: disgustful to all that part of the people who call 130 00:07:45,920 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: themselves the sons of Liberty and deny the authority of 131 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: the British Parliament to pass the Late Acts for imposing 132 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 1: duties upon certain articles of trade imported into America, and 133 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: who certainly form a great majority of the people in 134 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: that town own, though perhaps not of the person's of 135 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: the best fortunes and most respectable characters in the place. Basically, 136 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: the rabble are cranky. That was the British version of 137 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: the story, for sure. So on March five, seventy, that's 138 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: when the Boston masker took place. Captain John Goldfinch was 139 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: walking down King Street when the wig maker's apprentice, whose 140 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: name was Edward Garrick, hollerd in him that he had 141 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: not paid for his wig. Captain Goldfinch just ignored him, 142 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: and so Edward then repeated this accusation to other passers 143 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 1: by in a similarly hollering fashion. So Hugh White, who 144 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: was the sentry on duty at the customs House, heard 145 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: this commotion, and he told Edward that the Captain, being 146 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: a gentleman, would of course pay for anything he had bought. Edward, however, 147 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: disbelieved that there were any gentleman among the Red Coats, 148 00:08:56,679 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: and he expressed that quite loudly. Uh. And that prompted 149 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: White to leave his post and strike Edward with his musket, 150 00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: at which point the crowd, which had already started to 151 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: gather in response to all of this yelling in the street, 152 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:14,840 Speaker 1: started heckling and taunting White, and he returned to his post, 153 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: loaded his weapon, and called for the main guard. At 154 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:22,679 Speaker 1: roughly the same time, there were crowds having similar altercations 155 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,679 Speaker 1: with the British at other points nearby in Boston, and 156 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,079 Speaker 1: there was a lot of hurling of insults and snowballs 157 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: at the uniformed troops. Someone also rang a firebell, which 158 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:35,880 Speaker 1: prompted even more people to come out into the streets, 159 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: and this whole giant crowd started to converge on the 160 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:43,719 Speaker 1: customs House. John Adams later called this crowd quote a 161 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes and Mulatto's, Irish tigus 162 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,440 Speaker 1: and outlandish jacktars. It was kind of reality. Take that 163 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:56,400 Speaker 1: as you will. And all this commotion, Captain Thomas Preston 164 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,720 Speaker 1: heard that people were planning to carry White off from 165 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 1: his posts and murder him, and perhaps while they were 166 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: at it, they were also going to rob the customs house. 167 00:10:05,080 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: So he decided to intervene, and he brought seven men 168 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 1: from the twenty nine regiment to back him up. At 169 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: that point, the crowd had started throwing snowballs, which sounds 170 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: not so terrible, but then also sticks, rocks, oyster shells, 171 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: ouch and whatever else was at hand. The soldiers arranged 172 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: themselves in a kind of half circle, facing out to 173 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: the crowd. So we're leaning on unreliable almost two d 174 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: and fifty year old eyewitness testimony here, so it's a 175 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,199 Speaker 1: little unclear exactly who did what to cause the first 176 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: shot to be fired. We do know that a man 177 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: named Crispus Addicts, who was carrying a club, approached the 178 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: soldiers and grabbed one of their bayonets, and that soldier 179 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: Hugh Montgomery was knocked down. When Montgomery got up, he 180 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,440 Speaker 1: fired his musket kind of at the general direction of 181 00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: the crowd, and he shouted for others to fire. They did, 182 00:10:56,760 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: even as Captain Preston was yelling orders for them to 183 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: hold their fire. And then uh, there was general chaos 184 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:10,080 Speaker 1: and shooting and sort of a big mass melee. Melee 185 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: is a perfect word defray, And that went on with 186 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:18,160 Speaker 1: some confusion until the dust settled. Three men died at 187 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:22,000 Speaker 1: the scene. These were Christmas Addicts, Samuel Gray, and James Caldwell. 188 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: Christmas Addicts was the son of an African man and 189 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: a Native American woman. He was the first of all 190 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: after being shot twice in the chest. He has since 191 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: become known as the Revolution's first hero, and we don't 192 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: really know much about his life before the massacre, except 193 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: that he had escaped from slavery and found work as 194 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:43,959 Speaker 1: a whaler and a rope maker. In addition to the fatalities, 195 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,880 Speaker 1: eight other people were injured, and Samuel Maverick and Patrick 196 00:11:47,960 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 1: Carr ended up dying of their injuries later. That brings 197 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: the death toll of the Boston massacre to five. Warrant 198 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:58,680 Speaker 1: was issued for the arrest of Captain Preston a little 199 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: after midnight that night. Pretty Much the only way they 200 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:02,800 Speaker 1: were able to get the crowd to go back about 201 00:12:02,800 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: their business was to reassure them that yes, there would 202 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,679 Speaker 1: be an investigation and that these men would see justice 203 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:22,440 Speaker 1: done so. In response to the killings, the people of 204 00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:25,680 Speaker 1: Boston demanded that the soldiers who had participated in the 205 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:29,320 Speaker 1: shooting along with their captain, be tried for murder. Captain 206 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,400 Speaker 1: Preston and his eight soldiers were indicted on March thirteenth, 207 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: although the trial was put off for several months to 208 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: allow the town's passions to cool down, and they all 209 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,280 Speaker 1: remained in jail and interim. In the interim, Preston wrote 210 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: letters from his jail cell, and some of them were 211 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: published in the Boston papers, and those that had been 212 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: published expressed empathy for the citizens and those who had 213 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: fallen while on the other hand, a letter that was 214 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: published back in England was basically pretty scathing. Uh. And 215 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: naturally word got back to the colonies about that one. Uh, 216 00:13:00,679 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: and that did not really help his case. No, he 217 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:04,880 Speaker 1: was kind of talking out of both sides of his mouth. 218 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 1: The citizens of Boston also demanded that the British troops 219 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:15,559 Speaker 1: be removed, and, eventually, fearing further retaliation, Acting Governor Thomas 220 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: Hutchinson and Colonel Dalrymple, who was in charge of the units, 221 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 1: had the troops removed to Castle William, which is on 222 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 1: an island three miles out in Boston Harbor. Captain Preston 223 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,559 Speaker 1: and the soldiers were arraigned on September seven, and they 224 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: all pled not guilty. Captain Preston was tried for murder 225 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:36,240 Speaker 1: in October of seventeen seventies, separately from the other soldiers. 226 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,360 Speaker 1: The soldiers had requested that they all be tried together. 227 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: Their defense was that they were just following orders, and 228 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: Preston's defense was that he had not actually given an 229 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:49,360 Speaker 1: order to fire. So the soldiers were really understandably afraid 230 00:13:49,520 --> 00:13:52,520 Speaker 1: that if Preston was tried first and then found guilty, 231 00:13:52,559 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: that they would automatically be guilty with no possible way 232 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: to prove their innocence. Their request, though, was denied with 233 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: no explanation, and as you can imagine, they had a 234 00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: hard time finding legal representation in Boston. Most lawyers feared 235 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: that they would never work again if they dared to 236 00:14:09,360 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: defend these soldiers, and in the end, leading the defense 237 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: for both the captain and his men was John Adams. 238 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: Robert Akmooty and Josiah Quincy Jr. Helped defend the captain, 239 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 1: and Quincy and Sampson Salter Blowers helped defend the soldiers. 240 00:14:24,320 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: So there was a transcription presumably made of Captain Preston's trial, 241 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,960 Speaker 1: and that has not survived until today, but we know 242 00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:35,520 Speaker 1: the basics. Eyewitnesses for the defense insisted that Captain Preston 243 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: had not ordered for anyone to fire. On the other hand, 244 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: eyewitnesses for the prosecution insisted that he had. Adam's defense 245 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 1: relied on raising doubts about the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses, 246 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 1: and the Captain's trial lasted from October to October, with 247 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: the sequestered jury eventually finding him not guilty. This was 248 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,600 Speaker 1: a shock too many people. The eight British soldiers were 249 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: tried as well in November and December of seventeen seventy, 250 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 1: and the trial was officially known as Rex versus Weems 251 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: at All. The transcript of this trial still exists today, 252 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: and their defense hinged on the idea that the soldiers 253 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,000 Speaker 1: were firing in self defense. Six of the soldiers were 254 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 1: acquitted on the grounds that they were defending themselves. In 255 00:15:24,320 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: John Adams words quote, if an assault was made to 256 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: endanger their lives, the law is clear they had a 257 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 1: right to kill in their own defense if it was 258 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:34,960 Speaker 1: not so severe as to endanger their lives. Yet, if 259 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 1: they were assaulted at all, struck and abused by blows 260 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,840 Speaker 1: of any sort, by snowballs, oyster shells, cinders, clubs, or 261 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: sticks of any kind, this was a provocation for which 262 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: the law reduces the offense of killing down to manslaughter 263 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: in consideration of those passions in our nature which cannot 264 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: be eradicated. So, while six of the soldiers were acquitted, 265 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: two of them were indeed convicted of manslaughter, and if 266 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: they're sentencing, they pled a benefit of clergy. Laws at 267 00:16:02,600 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: the time basically allowed for clergy to receive more lenient sentencing, 268 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,160 Speaker 1: especially when it came to the death pencil penalty, and 269 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: this allowance had, over many centuries, come to apply to 270 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 1: all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. So 271 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,800 Speaker 1: pleading the benefit of clergy reduced their sentence to having 272 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:24,760 Speaker 1: the letter M branded onto their thumbs, so they would 273 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: be marked forever as manslaughters on their thumbs. Uh. John Adams, 274 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,040 Speaker 1: as you can imagine, initially faced hostility for his role 275 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: in the trials, but his events of the soldiers was 276 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: eventually viewed as something of an act of bravery. And then, 277 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:41,960 Speaker 1: of course he became George Washington's vice president and then 278 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: the second President of the United States, so it did 279 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 1: not really tain his reputation as much as people had 280 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,480 Speaker 1: expected in the end. Now and in the today, it's 281 00:16:51,520 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: become an example in law schools sometimes of an example 282 00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 1: of when somebody has defended uh, you know, a clearly 283 00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: unpopular choice of someone to defend in the interest of 284 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: making sure that person got actual justice. John Adams later 285 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: wrote this in his diary. The part that I took 286 00:17:10,760 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: in defense of Captain Preston and the soldiers procured me 287 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: anxiety and obloquy enough. It was, however, one of the 288 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: most gallant, generous, manly, and disinterested actions of my whole life, 289 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:24,680 Speaker 1: and one of the best pieces of service I ever 290 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:28,680 Speaker 1: rendered my country. Judgment of death against those soldiers would 291 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 1: have been as foul a stain upon this country as 292 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:37,480 Speaker 1: the executions of the Quakers or witches anciently. But the 293 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 1: bigger impact of this massacre was its influence on the 294 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,160 Speaker 1: American Revolution. The dead became martyrs, and the incident raised 295 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: a rallying cry for independence. And one of the many 296 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: people stirring the pot was John Hancock, who had become 297 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 1: a vocal opponent of the British after his sloop the 298 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:57,119 Speaker 1: Liberty was seized after its cargo of wine was unloaded 299 00:17:57,119 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: without Hancock paying the duties on it, so not paid 300 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: his taxes no, and his ship was taken. He objected 301 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:17,680 Speaker 1: to that idea. Paul Revere created an engraving which shows 302 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,399 Speaker 1: a line of British soldiers in their red coats just 303 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,200 Speaker 1: firing indiscriminately at a huge kind of people. It ran 304 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 1: under the name the Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street, Boston. 305 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: Samuel Adams also contributed to the massacre Moniker, writing letters 306 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: in the Boston Gazette as well as helping to pen quote. 307 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:40,160 Speaker 1: A short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston perpetrated 308 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:42,400 Speaker 1: on the evening of the fifth day of March seventeen 309 00:18:42,440 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: seventy by soldiers of the twenty ninth Regiment, with which 310 00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: the fourteenth Regiment were then quartered there, with some observations 311 00:18:49,600 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: on the state of things prior to that catastrophe. Also 312 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:55,600 Speaker 1: known as a short Horative Narrative of the Horrid Massacre 313 00:18:55,640 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: in Boston, because that first title is a little worthy 314 00:18:58,880 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: extremely long. The British counterpart to this pamphlet was set 315 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,239 Speaker 1: was the set of depositions we read from earlier, and 316 00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,800 Speaker 1: that was titled A Fair account of the Late Unhappy 317 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:13,199 Speaker 1: Disturbance at Boston in New England. Guess perspective changes everything. 318 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: They did not call this the Boston massacre in Britain. 319 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: They called it like the incident in Boston. It was 320 00:19:21,320 --> 00:19:24,560 Speaker 1: not referred to as a massacre at all. And basically 321 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,040 Speaker 1: the reason why we in the United States call it 322 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: a massaker is because Paul Revere and Samuel Adams were 323 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 1: basically acting like spin doctors. Yeah, they were propagandizing the events. Yes, 324 00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:39,679 Speaker 1: if you were angry about spin and the news it 325 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,360 Speaker 1: is absolutely not a new thing at all, and one 326 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 1: of the things that was just the best. The best 327 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: part of researching this episode is the fact that most 328 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,320 Speaker 1: of these pamphlets still exist and and you can see 329 00:19:51,320 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 1: the blindingly different interpretations of what happened. For a number 330 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:01,639 Speaker 1: of years after March fifth was a of remembrance in Massachusetts. 331 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 1: The site of the massacre is a spot on the 332 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: Freedom Trail that still exists. Uh. And a memorial to 333 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 1: Christmas Addicts was erected in Boston Commons over the opposition 334 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:15,080 Speaker 1: of historical organizations that viewed him as a villain not 335 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:19,760 Speaker 1: a hero. Yeah, it's because the you know that the 336 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,160 Speaker 1: records of that day are so glad and fuzzy. Uh. 337 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: There are people who see Christmas Addicts as like the 338 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:29,280 Speaker 1: first real patriot dying in the Revolution, Like he was 339 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: the person that stood up stood up to the Red coats. 340 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,840 Speaker 1: You could really look at the same accounts and more 341 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: arrive at the idea that that he was basically the 342 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:44,119 Speaker 1: the guy that threw a first punch and in a 343 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:47,160 Speaker 1: bar fight, and in that bar fight throwing the first 344 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,119 Speaker 1: punch hit a cop like right, that you could really 345 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: look at it either way. Um, but but he does 346 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: wind up with with also a notable place as being 347 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,119 Speaker 1: one of the first African Americans to have played a 348 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,200 Speaker 1: big role in that way the revolution. So there are 349 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:04,960 Speaker 1: lots of layers there, and luckily you can do plenty 350 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,560 Speaker 1: of looking around at a lot of this stuff. As 351 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: Tracy mentioned just a moment ago, the Massachusetts Historical Society 352 00:21:11,880 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: has a bunch of these documents all grouped together in 353 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: one easy to find place, and they're kind of hilarious, 354 00:21:17,359 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: not only because of the obvious lanth and spinning that's 355 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: going on depending on who's writing, but also because of, 356 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: as Tracy says, the long esses that looks like that 357 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:28,440 Speaker 1: look like guess yes, and we'll link you to that, 358 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: uh in the show notes we will. There's also the 359 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 1: Bostonian Society has made a game that is meant for 360 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: elementary and middle school students that's all about investigating the massacre, 361 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 1: which is pretty fun. I did not play all the 362 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: way through it, but it basically is like, hey, you're 363 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: an investigator. You got to figure out what happened at 364 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:51,639 Speaker 1: this massacre. It's very fun. It's quite fun and a 365 00:21:51,640 --> 00:21:55,760 Speaker 1: cool way to engage kids and adults frankly about learning 366 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 1: about history. Yeah, what every historical event had one of 367 00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 1: those that would be so awesome. I I really I 368 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: wanted to do the whole thing, but I really really 369 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: really needed to finish my notes so that I can 370 00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,239 Speaker 1: go home. So yes, the Boston massacre. I pulled some 371 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 1: random people as I. As I got into this story, 372 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,040 Speaker 1: I was like, hey, how many how many people do 373 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: you think I killed at the Boston massacre? Hundreds? Well, 374 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,960 Speaker 1: nobody said hundreds, but most people came up with a 375 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,920 Speaker 1: number that was more than twenty. And when I said 376 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: to five, they were like, really, So I don't want 377 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,359 Speaker 1: to belittle the fact that five human beings lost their lives, Like, 378 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:34,879 Speaker 1: that's not the point. The point is more that massacre 379 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,399 Speaker 1: is a great, big, bloody word, and what happened was 380 00:22:38,480 --> 00:22:43,040 Speaker 1: much more like a street brawl with casualties. It was 381 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:46,640 Speaker 1: an incident that went poorly, but it was not kind 382 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: of the big, huge I mean it probably took moments, yes, 383 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 1: and was not quite the event that the word massacre 384 00:22:54,280 --> 00:23:03,080 Speaker 1: conjures in most people's mind. Right. Thank you so much 385 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,879 Speaker 1: for joining us today for this Saturday Classic. If you 386 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: have heard any kind of email address or maybe a 387 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: Facebook you are l during the course of the episode. 388 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: That might be obsolete. It might be doubly obsolete because 389 00:23:13,359 --> 00:23:16,360 Speaker 1: we have changed our email address again. You can now 390 00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 1: reach us at history Podcasts, at i heart radio dot com, 391 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:22,919 Speaker 1: and we're all over social media at missed in History 392 00:23:23,119 --> 00:23:26,119 Speaker 1: and you can subscribe to our show on Apple podcasts, 393 00:23:26,119 --> 00:23:29,360 Speaker 1: Google podcasts, the I heart Radio app, and wherever else 394 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:35,000 Speaker 1: you listen to podcasts. 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