What Was the Importance of the Boston Massacre?
The Boston Massacre was important because it helped reignite calls for ending the relationship between the American colonists and the British. It was also crucial in galvanizing colonial society against the British, which ultimately led to the Revolutionary War.
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. It was the result of a confrontation between British soldiers and American colonists. On this day, a group of colonists gathered at the Customs Office in Boston. An exchange of words ensued, reflecting the hostility between the British and the colonists.
The group of colonists started throwing snowballs and bottles at the growing number of British soldiers who were there to curb demonstrations against the Townshend Acts. The British soldiers reacted by opening fire on the colonists. This resulted in the death of five colonists.
The news about the massacre quickly spread throughout the colonies thanks to Sam Adams’ Committees of Correspondence. The Committees of Correspondence portrayed the event as the murder of innocent people by a heartless British garrison and made the case that the British soldiers used excessive force against unarmed civilians. From that point on, confrontations between the colonists and the British became more antagonistic until war was finally declared.
