The Boston Massacre: A History with Documents

by York; Neil L.

• ISBN13: 9780415873499
• ISBN10: 0415873495
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-21
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

On March 5, 1770, after being harassed for two years during their occupation of Boston, British soldiers finally lost control, firing into a mob of rioting Americans, killing several of them, including Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave and sailor, the first African American patriot killed. The aftermath of this 'massacre' led to what was eventually the American Revolution. The importance of the event grew, as it was used for political purposes, to stoke the fires of rebellion in the colonists and to show the British in the most unflattering light.The Boston Massacre gathers together the most important primary documents pertaining to the incident, along with images, anchored together with a succinct yet thorough introduction, to give students of the Revolutionary period access to the events of the massacre as they unfolded. Included are newspaper stories, the official transcript of the trial, letters, and maps of the area, as well as consideration of how the massacre is remembered today.

Author Biography

Neil L. York is Mary Lou Fulton Professor of History at Brigham Young University in Utah. He is the author of Turning the World Upside Down: The War of American Independence and the Problem of Empire.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	p. ix
Chronology	p. x
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Context	p. 1
Introduction: With Blood ôRunning Like Waterö	p. 3
Documents	p. 49
American Rights Asserted	p. 51
London's Response	p. 55
A Governor's Lament	p. 58
A Bostonian's Protest	p. 64
Parliament's Frustrations with Massachusetts	p. 69
Unintimidated Massachusetts Legislators	p. 73
A British Soldier's Complaint	p. 79
A Martyr is Made	p. 83
A Most Shocking Scene	p. 87
Revere's Rendering	p. 94
Hutchinson Under Pressure	p. 97
Gage Reports to Hillsborough	p. 102
Preston Pleads His Case to Pitt	p. 108
Boston Counters Preston	p. 114
Gage's Hands Tied	p. 118
An Eyewitness Account	p. 121
Coroner's Inquest for Crispus Attucks	p. 123
Grand Jury Indictment	p. 126
A Short Narrative	p. 129
A Fair Account	p. 145
Additional Observations	p. 158
Town Leaders and the Battle for Public Opinion	p. 166
The Soldiers' Appeal for a Single Trial	p. 173
Questions About the Court Record	p. 176
A Judge's Directions to Jurors	p. 187
The Short Narrative View Reaffirmed	p. 205
The Trial Outcomes Defended	p. 210
Annual Commemoration	p. 215
A Problematical Reminiscence	p. 222
Monument to the Fallen	p. 227
A More Balanced View	p. 235
Notes	p. 239
Suggested Reading	p. 250
Index	p. 252
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.