AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Boston Massacre (Day 41/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of the Boston Massacre in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Quartering of British Soldiers, History.com

With tensions increasing in the late 1760s, the British deployed thousands of soldiers to North America. In Boston, with a population of 16,000, colonists were quartering, or housing, more than 2,000 British soldiers.

Alonzo Chappel, Boston Massacre, Wikimedia Commons

Colonists angry about the presence of troops and the various acts imposed, taunted and harassed a small group of British soldiers on March 5, 1770. Chaos erupted and the soldiers shot into the crowd, killing 5 and injuring several others. 

Boston Massacre, Wikimedia Commons

Crispus Attucks, a sailor of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry, was one of the five people killed by the British. He is considered to be the first casualty of the American Revolution.

Paul Revere, The Bloody Massacre Wikimedia Commons

The Boston Massacre was widely publicized. Paul Revere’s depiction portrayed a deliberate act of aggression by British forces against unarmed civilians. This propagandistic effort fueled a growing anti-British sentiment throughout the colonies.

The Boston Massacre was a chaotic outbreak of violence between American colonists and British troops which resulted in the deaths of 5 colonists and fueled resentment towards the British.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Tea Act and Boston Tea Party in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!