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Essay / No discipline on the part of the British soldiers created the...
The Boston MassacreOn March 5, 1770, colonists taunted a British sentry in front of the customs house. This was common for a day in colonized America. However, this day was more significant than all the others before. The British sentry returned fire, causing a considerable crowd of settlers to become involved. Then other British came to help their comrade. Amid the chaos, the British fired their muskets into the crowd, killing five people and wounding three. This would later be called the Boston Massacre. The lack of discipline of British soldiers caused the Boston Massacre. The British presence in America became increasingly undesirable during the 1700s. The regime repeatedly became more authoritarian and deprived the colonists of their freedom. When the British marched into Massachusetts in October 1768, the colonists were furious. Years of major battles with France left England in need of money. The imperial government demanded heavy taxes which would only be used to benefit Britain itself. These taxes included housing for British soldiers (“British Reforms and Colonial Resistance, 1767-1772 – Timeline of American Memory – Classroom Presentation | Resources for Teachers – Library of Congress”). There was absolutely no democracy at the time. The regulars would abuse their power to intimidate and control the anger of the colonists. Americans would not allow themselves to live under a harsh regime without some form of resistance. Non-violent diplomatic means were demonstrated to gain freedom. After all, you don't start a violent revolution without asking for a chance to be heard. As expected, the British did not listen. The settlers turned to protest. The protest eventually turned into action. The action led to bloodshed ("P...... middle of paper ......ite, Private John Carroll, Private William Warren, Private William McCauley and Private James Hartigan all were acquitted (DiCanio et al. Although no one involved in the Boston Massacre was convicted of murder, shooting unarmed civilians is never acceptable. Americans had the right to protest and. to demonstrate against British rule When they were ignored, they had no choice but to go further no one wants to live in slavery. they can't handle the stress of making tactical decisions, they shouldn't find themselves in a situation where they might have to fight the settlers in the face with the butt of their rifle could have been acceptable. also had no warning shot Captain Preston could have fired a warning shot, which probably would have caused everyone to stop and listen...