March 5, 1770Reputable sourceWell documented
The Boston Massacre
On the timeline · around March 5, 1770 ·
What happened
On the night of 5 March 1770 a crowd taunted and pelted British soldiers stationed near the Old State House in Boston. The soldiers opened fire, killing five colonists, among them Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent.
Why it matters
Publicized by patriots as a 'massacre,' the killings inflamed anti-British feeling and became a lasting rallying cry for the growing colonial resistance.
Sources
- National Park Service. Boston Massacre · Reputable source