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Essential Question

Essential Question. What was the series of events that led to the Boston Massacre?. Activism & The Boston Massacre. Ch 6 Sec 2 Pt II. Anger Over Townshend. The Townshend Acts sparked immediate protest in the colonies

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Essential Question

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  1. Essential Question • What was the series of events that led to the Boston Massacre?

  2. Activism & The Boston Massacre Ch 6 Sec 2 Pt II

  3. Anger Over Townshend • The Townshend Acts sparked immediate protest in the colonies • Colonists were furious that Parliament had passed taxes w/o offering representation (again!) • Colonists were also angry over writs of assistance • British customs officers were searching & seizing their property w/ increasing regularity • In response to the Townshend Acts, merchants in Boston organized another boycott

  4. Political Activism • As the boycott spread, more colonists became politically active • This included many who had previously not been willing or able to have a voice • For example, women formed an organized protest group called the Daughters of Liberty • These women urged colonists to: • Make their own thread, cloth, & clothing (homespun) • Use American products instead of British imports

  5. “Disorder” & Tension • Fearing disorder, Britain sent 1,000 extra troops to the colonies • Samuel Adams, leader of the Sons of Liberty, argued these troops were: • Unnecessary in peace time • A threat to colonial rights • These troops quickly became a source of tension • On March 5, 1770 the tension would spill over into violence

  6. The Boston Massacre • That evening, a group of youths & dockworkers surrounded soldiers @ the State House • The groups traded insults, while the colonists pelted the soldiers w/ clam shells, rocks, & snowballs • As the crowd grew larger & more hostile, the soldiers began to fear for their safety

  7. Boston Massacre • In the confusion, a British soldier fired into the crowd • This caused the others to fire on the crowd as well • 5 colonists were killed, igniting massive outrage in Boston • Among the dead was Crispus Attucks, an African-American sailor • Attucks is believed to be the first American killed by the British during the Revolutionary period • Word spread quickly, and anti-British propaganda flooded colonial newspapers

  8. Summary/Quiz Question • On March 5, 1770, which conflict broke out between the British Army and American youths/dockworkers? a. The Boston Tea Party b. Battles of Lexington & Concord c. The Boston Massacre d. The Battle of Bunker Hill

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