Boston Massacre Background & Causes

The Boston Massacre was not a solitary random event that came out of nowhere. Tensions had been brewing for some time between colonists and Great Britain, and the Boston Massacre was a tragedy in the making. Let's take a look at the setting and background of this pivotal event in American history and explore what triggered it, beginning with taxes.

Wars cost money and the French and Indian War, the larger conflict of the Seven Years' War, was no different. This conflict between Great Britain and France left Great Britain in debt and they decided that the best way of filling their coffers would be to look to the colonists. After all, they were protecting the colonists during the conflict and, therefore, the colonists should pay their due share. Of course, this was done without consulting the colonists first.

The colonists had become accustomed to Great Britain's benign neglect, which often included a lax attitude in how colonists conducted business, allowing them a great deal of autonomy. This renewed interest in the colonies and what they could do for Great Britain was not welcomed. The Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 burdened the colonists with heavy taxes on items imported from Great Britain. These taxes riled up the colonists because the decision in the British Parliament to tax them was made without anyone to represent the interests of the colonists.

Charles Townshend created the Townshend Acts, which placed duties on imported goods.

The Declaratory & Townshend Acts

To mollify the angry colonists, the British then passed the Declaratory Act of 1766, which repealed the Stamp Act. However, the Declaratory Act also made it clear to the colonists that they did not have a right to representation in parliament. Then, to add insult to injury, the Townshend Acts of 1767 was passed. The Townshend Acts levied import taxes on items such as tea, glass, and paper, and the money from these taxes, instead of replacing the financial losses of the French and Indian War, went towards paying the salaries of the colonial governors. Prior to this, it was colonial legislatures that had the power of the purse and decided on a governor's salary. In addition, the British insisted that the colonists quarter British soldiers who were being deployed to colonies. This was just another blow to colonial autonomy and the colonists rose up to boycott British goods.

Samuel Adams, a leading member of the radical patriot group the Sons of Liberty, took the opportunity to write the Massachusetts Circular Letter and laid out the colonists' grievances against the British and the actions that could be taken. Colonial resistance and an increase in British soldiers was a disaster waiting to happen.

The Boston Massacre

Every fire needs a match. There had been clashes between citizens and soldiers, one in which a child was killed. On March 5th, 1770, things came to a head in the Boston Massacre, which describes a famous skirmish between colonists and British soldiers that ended in colonists' deaths.

A group of rioters gathered to intimidate a single British soldier, Hugh White, who was guarding the Customs House that housed the Massachusetts colony's treasury. In the evening, Hugh White faced a crowd throwing snowballs, rocks, and other projectiles. At some point, Hugh White struck out with the butt of his rifle and someone was injured. Rage took over the crowd and White was in a precarious situation.