Question

The HORRID MASSACRE IN BOSTON, Perpetrated in the evening of the fifth day of March, 1770, by soldiers of the Twenty-ninth Regiment, which with the Fourteenth Regiment were then quartered there; with some observations on the state of things prior to that catastrophe. -anonymous account, A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston, 1770. Who most likely wrote this passage and for what reason?

Answer 1

The passage was likely written by a member of the Sons of Liberty to depict the Boston Massacre as a grave injustice and rally support for the American colonists' cause against British rule.

Step-by-step explanation:

The passage likely originates from someone affiliated with the Sons of Liberty, a group instrumental in organizing opposition to British policies in the colonies prior to the American Revolution. They aimed to incite colonial outrage and bolster support for the cause of independence by portraying the British soldiers' actions during the Boston Massacre as premeditated murder. This document is, therefore, a piece of revolutionary propaganda intended to sway public opinion against British rule.

On the evening of March 5, 1770, in what would become known as the Boston Massacre, tensions escalated between Boston civilians and British soldiers quartered in the city. Conflicts arose over jobs and Parliament's taxes. After being provoked by an aggressive crowd, British soldiers fired into the throng, resulting in five casualties, including Crispus Attucks.

The document's sensational language aims to highlight British brutality and the colonists' suffering. These accounts contributed to growing resistance, eventually leading to significant events like the Boston Tea Party and, later, the Revolutionary War. This pattern of agitating public sentiment with exaggerated narratives was not uncommon among the Sons of Liberty and similar groups during this period.