It was John Adams. It was Adams who defended the British soldiers who fired on the colonist during the Boston Massacre. He was able to successfully defend them even though it was unpopular to do. He did this because of his belief that everyone had the right to counsel. Adams was also one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Later he would become George Washington’s Vice-President and later became the second President of the United States. He along with Thomas Jefferson contributed to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.