Background information:

1. All these replies im posting are editorals made by other students regarding
the same event (the Boston mascare)
2. What needs to be done is, reply to these posts by students(which ill post) as
if youre still an editor, and bring out points you agree & disagree with.

3. Comments such as You have a good point, I like what you said, or I agree
(or disagree) with you are not adequate replies. Letters to the Editor must
show some analytical thought and encourage more dialogue. Ask questions,
give a different point of view, bring up another aspect of the topic your
classmates did not cover, and so on.
4. Total of 5 replies, 200 words EACH.
5. 1 reference for EACH reply, so 5 references depending on wheter the point
the other student made is being agreed with or disagreed with.
6.
8 days ago
Robert Tate (FIRST REPLY)
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
7. COL LA PS E
On March 5th, Monday evening, on the streets of Boston, there was a terrible
tragedy. This tragedy happens at the hands of the British soldiers illegally quartered
at the State house. The soldiers quartered at the State house were given permission
to be on those premises by Governor Bernard. Again, this is not a legal practice and
is contrary to the Magna-Carta, contrary to the Bill of Rights where it says keeping a
standing army within the kingdom during peace time is against the law (The
Anonymous account of the Boston Massacre March 5 1770 article). It is obvious after
hearing the accounts by multiple people involved that the soldiers were intent upon
making problems with the people of Boston for no apparent reason. According to
sources from the street, several of the soldiers were in the streets of Boston causing
problems with locals and injuring some of them when they decided to pick a fight at
the local rope-walk. After the soldiers were bested several times by the locals and
good number of soldiers had massed, they went about the streets abusing other
locals indiscriminately (The Anonymous account of the Boston Massacre March 5 1770
article).
It is then said, after the soldiers, had been abusing locals, they ended up in the
street armed and confronting those locals. An altercation then ensued where the
soldiers opened fire on the locals and eleven people were either killed or injured.
Locals claim Cpt. Preston of the 29th regiment was the Officer of the night and it is
said that he gave the order for his soldiers to fire into the unarmed crowd.
Cpt. Preston's account of the encounter was quite different. The Captain claims
that some of his soldiers involved in the altercation at Gray's rope-walk ended with
both parties taking their share of the hurt. He also claims all was quieted for the most
part after that. Captain Preston account says he was informed that locals were going
going to plunder the King's money and murder the soldier guarding it. A mob then
attacks the soldiers with clubs and other weapons. Captain Preston's claim is he
never gave an order to fire and instead, the locals may have heard one of the other
locals give that command causing the soldiers to fire their weapons. Shortly after that
he turned himself in to the Sheriff (Captain Preston's account of the Boston Massacre
March 5 1770).

Dear Robert,

The accounts that you have outlined are indeed correct, but I could say that

provocation ensued from both sides of the camps, the Bostonians and the British Soldiers

as well. The British soldiers had been sent to Boston to enforce the taxation measures that

the British colonial government had passed and since there was no American

representation in Boston, the soldiers were sent there to enforce the law. There are

various versions of the story, depending on who was defending or accusing the other.

First of all, the Bostonians were not happy with the occupation of their city by about

2000 British soldiers who went about brutalizing everyone indiscriminately. I believe that

the main cause of the Boston killings was triggered by the distaste and provocation of the

people by the ruthlessness of the British soldiers. One of the guards at the Customs,

Private White, is believed to have struck one of the protesters, Garrick Edwards with his

muskets butt for insulting the commanding officer. The crowd was becoming hostile and

they hurled snowballs and other stuff to the soldiers. Though unnecessary, I think the

soldiers felt provoked and feared that the angry crowd was going to attack them. We

cannot ascertain that the crowd was actually unarmed as they had other stuffs that they

hurled at the soldiers, but it is not a justification as to why the soldiers fired at the

unarmed crowd. It is as a result of the death of the five Bostonians and the injury of

other three that the American Revolution was sparked which resulted to the expulsion of

the soldiers from Boston. This resulted into a massacre that the British government ought

to have been held responsible for as there were other ways to tame the crowd. But the
 question is, what would the soldiers have done in such a confrontation, considering the

mob wanted to hurt them too?

Doggett, J., Bowdoin, J., Warren, J., & Pemberton, S. (2010). A short narrative of the horrid

massacre in Boston: Perpetrated in the evening of the fifth day of March, 1770, by

soldiers of the 29th Regiment, which with the 14th Regiment were then quartered there :

with some observations on the state of things prior to that catastrophe. Whitefish,

Mont.?: Kessinger Pub.

17 hours ago
Natasha Piroozgar (SECOND REPLY)
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
COL LA PS E
It is with a heavy heart that I write to my fellow Americans about the tragedy that took place
here in Boston, right outside of our homes. On March 5th, 1770 British soldiers decided to
partake in foolish and careless act at the expense of some of our neighbors. The soldiers
responsible for the murders were indeed stationed at the state house. Although some of our
fellow townspeople were causing riots and rebelling about the British being here, that was
no reason for any killings to take place. There were better, lawful ways to handle this
situation and I am truly distraught. My heart weighs heavy for those who lost family
members and friends; for all of us for losing our neighbors.

It is true, they often caused fights with the British soldiers and this day was like no other. A
simple, harmless fight. The British knew what the townspeople were like. They knew that
this was a daily thing. Yet, more and more British soldiers kept arriving to the scene. The
British soldiers reached out numbering totals and continued to fight the townspeople, firing
their weapons. The commander for the British soldiers, on this day was Captain Preston. He
reportedly is the one who ordered the first shots into the crowd of protesters. He claims that
both parties (the civilians and his soldiers) had to deal with a tremendous amount of hurt
but we can all see the numbers and really understand that acts on our people were unjust.

All this brings us to the simple conclusion that the events that took place in Boston,
Massachusetts were a flat out massacre, not a terrible tragedy. The British soldiers did not
accidentally fire their weapons. The fired their weapons with intent, intent to kill our fellow
townspeople for simply speaking their minds in the streets. Although we carry this anger
with us, I hope that we can all put that aside and forgive these soldiers. It does not mean we
have to let go of the hurt they have caused by committing these horrible acts but we can
forgive as our Lord has forgiven us. We can go forward by doing to others as we want done
to ourselves and remember that no matter what our thoughts, God has the ultimate
judgment on these men. Although I am angry with their actions, I pray salvation and eternal
life on their souls. May God also give eternal life to the ones we have lost.

1 day ago
Zach Evanson (THIRD REPLY)
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
COL LA PS E
It was a bloody heavy hearted day in the streets of Boston. On today, March 5th the streets
of Boston, Massachusetts would face tremendous devastation. it seems as if cooler heads
don't always prevail. With british troops being stationed locally to protect and support the
crown appointed colonial officials, who were called to enforce unpopular parliamentary
legislation. We all knew the relationship struggles between the population and British
soldiers were a working progress so to speak. However, On this particular Monday evening,
things would take a turn for the worse. A mob was formed around a British sentry, who was
subject to foul language, verbal abuse, and harassment. It is reported that eight other
soldiers came to support their fellow troop. The harassment increased at a rapid rate. The
mob continued with verbal threats and began throwing snowballs at the soldier. It was at a
particular moment after, things would change forever.
A spontaneous shot was fired into the mob crowd, killing 3 people instantly. The
soldiers continued to fire there weapons and one by one, bodies hit the floor. It is reported
up to eleven confirmed people have been killed or severely injured. Captain Preston was the
commanding officer in charge at the time of this outrage. He reportedly ordered the shots to
be fired into the crowd of civilians and protestors. In an effort to demonstrate the
impartiality of colonial courts, two Patriot leaders, John Adams and Josiah Quincy,
volunteered to defend Captain Preston and his men.
The prosecution went on to produce little evidence and Captain Preston and six of the
soldiers were acquitted of all charges. Two other soldiers were found guilty of manslaughter.
Soldiers will be removed from Boston in the upcoming month. It is important that we
recognize the victims and all of the innocent blood that was shed today and always
remember this day, The Boston Massacre, A terrible Tragedy.

2 days ago
Robert Tate (4th reply, these are students replying to OTHER posts)
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
COL LA PS E
Dear Mr. Editor, I read the story of what you wrote about what had happened on March 5th
between the British soldiers and the local towns people. I have a few questions about your
information. I did hear about the soldiers making problems for the locals but I was unaware
that my fellow Bostonians had decided to riot. Who started or was leading this riot? I think
we the people would like to know this because, in my view, if that was the case then we
should look into whether or not that person or people were the root cause of what
happened. Additionally, I had heard only of eleven people total being killed or injured
combined. Could you please tell the rest of us who else was killed and/or injured? I believe
both sides a part in what happened and we should all, as a community, get to the bottom of
it. Especially since I feel like you and I heard mostly, two different versions of this event.
 Dear Robert,

It is true that the Bostonians did riot and the root cause was the Townshend Act of 1767

that required the Bostonians to pay more taxes to the British empire. As a result, the British

government sent its soldiers to enforce the new law and the Bostonians were unhappy with this

move. I believe the riot was primarily caused by the dissatisfaction of the people as a result of

the unfair treatment by the British soldiers as they collected the taxes. As a result, about 20,000

Bostonians led by Samuel Adams, a Bostonian regarded as a patriot, threatened to storm the

Customs House located on the Kings Street in Boston. This was indeed taken as a provocation

by the British soldiers led by Captain Thomas Preston. During the riot, an argument had ensued

between one of the British soldiers, Private Mathew Kilroy argued with a protestor, Samuel Gray

who had hurled insults at Captain Goldfinch. A commotion erupted and objects and snowballs

were hurled at the British soldiers and in the process, A British soldier by the name Hugh White

assaulted one of the protestors, and struck a boy called Edward Garrick. It was here that the

frenzy ensued and stones and snowballs started being directed at the soldiers and private

Montgomery was the first to be hit by the snowball and he retaliated by firing into the crowd and

he killed an African American called Crispus Attucks. It is believed that Private Kilroy fired the

second shot that fell down Samuel Gray and killed him. In total, five protestors were killed and

two other badly injured, thus this became the Boston Massacre. Therefore, judging from the

incident of the people had the right to riot as they were opposed to the British Townshend

taxation law and British oppression. However, Bostonians could be blamed for having provoked

the massacre as they hurled insults and snowballs among other staff at the British soldiers.

However, this was no justification for the British soldiers to fire at the unarmed protestors and

killing some of them in cold blood although the probability of the incident in such a frenzy was
high. Eight British soldiers were arraigned in court, six were acquitted and only two were

convicted with manslaughter since the incident was taken as an action of self-defense. Even

though there are claims that both sides got a fair share of the hurt, I think the worst was on the

protestors side as there are no records of how the British soldiers dying or being hurt. The

incident cannot thus be solely blamed on the British soldiers as the protestors provoked the

incident, however, it the murders were uncalled for and could have been avoided.

Brodkin, Peter. "The Boston Massacre: Design or Accident?" The Journal of the

Rutgers University Libraries, vol. 40, no. 2, 2012.

Im posting the thread below to which the student was replying to.
-
5 days ago
Kyle Weed
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
- COL LA PS E
March 5th, was a Monday evening, on which a horrible tragedy ripped through the
streets of Boston. This massacre happened because of the carelessness of
the British soldiers stationed at the state house. This all became about because the
townspeople decided to riot against the brutish soldiers and bring the fight to them.
However the British were egging on the locals by bothering them for no reason at all.
The locals would pick fights with the soldiers but only the fights they could handle.
They only did it when there were a few soldiers to take on. For a while, the locals
were winning. They took it upon themselves to want to be able to finish the
job. However the British crowd of soldiers grew and grew until the soldiers way
outgrew the locals and massacred them in cold blood. The first was only a
little fight but then it grew to where the soldiers opened fire on the locals
murdering eleven people and injuring others. The captain in charge that
very night was aCaptain preston and he gave the order to fire into the
crowd of unarmed people. Now there are many different ways. The
account of the captain, the one who gave the order to fire into the crowd made it
seem like there was fighting on both sides and both came away injured. There were
many instances where it would have been important to know why the
soldiers did what they did. However, the captain felt if his men were just
protecting themselves and that there were many reasons to why the
massacred as it is called became a the his massacre. Captian also claims
that within the craziness of the night that the locals said something that
 his men heard as an order to fire and that is how this
all happened. because he did nothing wrong. He was just in the wrong
place at the wrong time. However, there are so many
reasons believe other accounts other than his because he knows he was
wrong but cannot admit it because he killed innocent civilians who did
nothing to deserve it. No matter whose account is right we can come to
the cyclone using that either way it was a massacre because innocent
blood was shed and there was no need for it if only there was a little more
of paying attention going on no would have died. However, the captain
turned himself in becasue of what he had done.

- Kyle Weed (5th reply, this is also another reply to a student FROM a
student)
- RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
- COL LA PS E
- The Boston massacre is something that people don't always think of as a huge
moment in history. There are so many different ways to look at
the Boston massacre. Some people beelive that it was a massacre and
some believe that it was an accident. I really like you take on this it was interesting
to see it from a different perspective. Like you said you don't really think it about it
from a perspective of a little boy or even a citizen. And while it is horrible to see
people killed and injured over this horrible tragedy people sometimes fail to realize
that this was a defining moment in history that sometimes gets overlooked in the
grand scheme of things. There are so many times where people forget history and
this is a moment that shouldn't be forgotten. I really like the way you portrayed it
giving the reader a new perspective to see it through.

Dear Kyle,
I completely agree with you on the fact that the Boston Massacre which occurred on

5th March 1770, is not a huge historical moment but rather a historical melancholy that is

commemorated in respect of the massacred protestors. No matter how we look at this, it

still remains a massacre as unarmed, but a rowdy and uncontrollable crowd, was fired at,

leading to the death of five protestors and injury of others. In one way or the other, I

however feel that this tragedy could have been avoided if the crowd has not started

throwing objects and snowballs at the aligned soldiers at the Custom House. A peaceful

demonstration should not have had involved such a force and hurling of words. On the

other hand, the soldiers acted wildly and dishonorably by shooting at the unarmed crowd,
 although the situation remains uncertain on how they could have protected themselves

from the charging crowd. However, I do agree that it would be unwise to look at this

incident as just a tragedy; this was in fact the rising point of the American Revolution

which led to other states joining the revolt against the British rule and the road to

independence. It was from this point henceforth that Boston soon became free of the

Townsend Act and other British oppressions as the soldiers left Boston. It was from this

incident that Samuel Adams, the patriot, got fired up and was able to use the incident to

stir patriots in other colonies and soon America was at war with the British. A new leader

was born from the Boston town, that is John Adams, a cousin to Samuel Adams, who

rose to become the second President of America. I therefore think that this was a

horrendous incident, but it has some historical significance on how freedom in American

the land of the brave started.

Boston. Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in Boston. Rarebooksclub Com, 2012.

-The thread the student replied to.

Joseph Stewart
RE: Topic 4: The Boston Massacre A Massacre or a Terrible Tragedy?
COL LA PS E
There is one afternoon that Boston will never forget. It was the afternoon when
something very bad happened that killed about 5 people. This is not a big number when
talking about a type of war, but when anyone dies because they were murdered, it is a
tragedy. A young boy named Edward was stabbed, but he did not die. You could only
imagine the shock the boy was in going when this was happening. Most people wake up in
the morning with no fear or worry of danger, but this changed Edwards life. Edward, of
course, was not the only one in the line of danger that afternoon. There was one man in the
spotlight that afternoon and his name was Captain Preston. He was there when the soldiers
were messing with the townspeople and doing what they shouldn't. He decided that he
would fire at the troops. He later was was in some kind of trouble, but he knew that he was
innocent. Why everything ends up in war or conflict is the question. We had started a new
colony and were trying to make a perfect place to live freely and then soldiers come and
harass and kill 5 and injure 6 people. Nobody asked for this to happen and it is a shame that
it did. I cannot stand to see innocent people killed or hurt, but it has been happening for
hundreds of year and it will continue into the future.