unsolved case the boston massacre
start line
cross it if you dare
Theodore Bliss, a colonist
UNSOLVED CASEIN boston
#5
#3
British Captain Thomas Preston
#1
Background Info
#4
#6
Solve the Case
Paul Revere, member of The Sons of Liberty
John Adams, a lawyer and colonist
#2
Click on the IMAGES in numerical order to gather your evidence
Background Story: A Massacre in Boston?
It’s a cold, tense night in Boston—March 5, 1770. The streets are filled with whispers of rebellion. British soldiers, known as Redcoats, have been stationed in Boston for months, and the colonists are furious. They say the soldiers are bullies, taking jobs from locals and enforcing unfair laws passed by a distant king. Earlier that day, a group of colonists began taunting a lone British soldier guarding the Customs House. Snowballs flew. Insults were shouted. A crowd gathered—some say dozens, others say hundreds. The tension exploded. Suddenly, shots rang out. Five colonists lay dead or dying in the snow. Among them was Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent—often called the first casualty of the American Revolution.
But here’s the twist: Was it a massacre… or a tragic accident?
Some say the British soldiers fired without warning, murdering innocent civilians. Others claim the colonists provoked the soldiers, throwing rocks and daring them to shoot. Paul Revere, a silversmith and Patriot, quickly engraved a dramatic image of the scene—blood, chaos, and British cruelty. His artwork spread like wildfire, turning public opinion against the British. But was it truth… or propaganda?
Overview Video of the Boston Massacre
Your Mission
You are now a historical detective. Your job is to: - Examine eyewitness accounts
- Analyze artwork and newspaper reports
- Decide: Who was really at fault?
Was this the spark that lit the fire of revolution—or a misunderstanding that got out of control?
"The Bloody Massacre" by Paul Revere
Click on the image to explore further
Just three weeks after British soldiers shot and killed five Bostonians and wounded six others, the
silversmith and patriot Paul Revere produced this engraving, which depicts the British massacering
peaceful colonists in cold blood.
Click on the image if you need to review
Captain Thomas Preston's Account (Simplified)
The crowd was getting bigger and louder. My soldiers tried to keep people back by pointing their bayonets in a half-circle. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. In fact, I let my men go to the scene without bullets in their guns. I never gave the order to load them. Maybe I should have—but that shows I wasn’t planning to attack anyone. I was trying to keep the peace, not start a fight. The mob kept growing. People were yelling insults like: “Come on, you bloody backs!” “Fire if you dare!” “You lobster scoundrels!” I stood between the soldiers and the crowd, begging the people to go home. But they wouldn’t listen. Some even hit the soldiers’ guns and tried to push past the bayonets. Someone asked me, “Are the guns loaded?” I said yes. Then they asked, “Are you going to order them to fire?” I said no way—I was standing in front of the guns myself! If they fired, I’d be the first to die.
Captain Thomas Preston's Account (Simplified) cont'd
Then, out of nowhere, someone hit one of my soldiers with a stick. He stepped to the side and fired his gun. I turned to ask him why he fired without orders, and I was hit hard with a club. It hurt so badly I couldn’t move my arm. If that blow had hit my head, I might not be here to tell the story. Suddenly, the crowd attacked my soldiers with snowballs and clubs. People were yelling, “Fire! Fire!”—but I never gave that order. In the chaos, some soldiers fired their guns, thinking I had told them to. Three men died right away, including Mr. Gray, who had argued with soldiers earlier. Others were badly hurt. I tried to stop more shooting by knocking the guns upward with my hand. Then I heard thousands of angry townspeople were nearby, ready to fight. I moved my men to a safer spot and prepared for an attack. Eventually, the lieutenant governor helped calm things down, and most people went home.
Captain Thomas Preston's Account - The Evidence?
Summation of John Adams(Simplified)
Later that morning a thirty-four-year-old Boston attorney, John Adams (future 2nd President), was visited in his office near the stairs of the Town Office by a Boston merchant. "With tears streaming from his eyes" (according to the recollection of Adams), the merchant, James Forest, asked Adams to defend the soldiers and their captain, Thomas Preston. Adams understood that taking the case would not only subject him to criticism, but might jeopardize his legal practice or even risk the safety of himself and his family. But Adams believed deeply that every person deserved a defense. What should John Adams do?
Reasoning of John Adams(Simplified)
Defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre was really hard for me. People were angry and criticized me. But I believe it was one of the bravest and most important things I’ve ever done for my country. If those soldiers had been wrongly sentenced to death, it would have been a terrible mistake—just like the old trials of witches and Quakers. ~John Adams
Deposition of Theodore Bliss (Simplified)
I heard church bells ringing and went outside. People said there was going to be trouble with the soldiers. I saw Captain Preston with his men near the Custom House. I asked if their guns were loaded—he said yes, but didn’t say if they had bullets. Then the crowd started throwing snowballs and someone hit a soldier with a stick. That soldier stepped aside and fired his gun. A few others fired right after. I didn’t hear Captain Preston give the order to fire. I was standing close to him, so I think I would have heard it if he had. People were yelling “Fire!” but it was hard to tell who said it—maybe the crowd, maybe the soldiers. After the first shot, the crowd got more aggressive. I even tried to hit a soldier myself but missed. I saw Captain Preston standing in front of the soldiers when the first shot was fired.
Deposition of Theodore Bliss (Simplified) cont'd
SOLVE THE CASE!
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case solved
Unsolved case of the Boston Massacre
Alicia Derr
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Transcript
unsolved case the boston massacre
start line
cross it if you dare
Theodore Bliss, a colonist
UNSOLVED CASEIN boston
#5
#3
British Captain Thomas Preston
#1
Background Info
#4
#6
Solve the Case
Paul Revere, member of The Sons of Liberty
John Adams, a lawyer and colonist
#2
Click on the IMAGES in numerical order to gather your evidence
Background Story: A Massacre in Boston?
It’s a cold, tense night in Boston—March 5, 1770. The streets are filled with whispers of rebellion. British soldiers, known as Redcoats, have been stationed in Boston for months, and the colonists are furious. They say the soldiers are bullies, taking jobs from locals and enforcing unfair laws passed by a distant king. Earlier that day, a group of colonists began taunting a lone British soldier guarding the Customs House. Snowballs flew. Insults were shouted. A crowd gathered—some say dozens, others say hundreds. The tension exploded. Suddenly, shots rang out. Five colonists lay dead or dying in the snow. Among them was Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent—often called the first casualty of the American Revolution.
But here’s the twist: Was it a massacre… or a tragic accident?
Some say the British soldiers fired without warning, murdering innocent civilians. Others claim the colonists provoked the soldiers, throwing rocks and daring them to shoot. Paul Revere, a silversmith and Patriot, quickly engraved a dramatic image of the scene—blood, chaos, and British cruelty. His artwork spread like wildfire, turning public opinion against the British. But was it truth… or propaganda?
Overview Video of the Boston Massacre
Your Mission
You are now a historical detective. Your job is to:
- Examine eyewitness accounts
- Analyze artwork and newspaper reports
- Decide: Who was really at fault?
Was this the spark that lit the fire of revolution—or a misunderstanding that got out of control?"The Bloody Massacre" by Paul Revere
Click on the image to explore further
Just three weeks after British soldiers shot and killed five Bostonians and wounded six others, the silversmith and patriot Paul Revere produced this engraving, which depicts the British massacering peaceful colonists in cold blood.
Click on the image if you need to review
Captain Thomas Preston's Account (Simplified)
The crowd was getting bigger and louder. My soldiers tried to keep people back by pointing their bayonets in a half-circle. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. In fact, I let my men go to the scene without bullets in their guns. I never gave the order to load them. Maybe I should have—but that shows I wasn’t planning to attack anyone. I was trying to keep the peace, not start a fight. The mob kept growing. People were yelling insults like: “Come on, you bloody backs!” “Fire if you dare!” “You lobster scoundrels!” I stood between the soldiers and the crowd, begging the people to go home. But they wouldn’t listen. Some even hit the soldiers’ guns and tried to push past the bayonets. Someone asked me, “Are the guns loaded?” I said yes. Then they asked, “Are you going to order them to fire?” I said no way—I was standing in front of the guns myself! If they fired, I’d be the first to die.
Captain Thomas Preston's Account (Simplified) cont'd
Then, out of nowhere, someone hit one of my soldiers with a stick. He stepped to the side and fired his gun. I turned to ask him why he fired without orders, and I was hit hard with a club. It hurt so badly I couldn’t move my arm. If that blow had hit my head, I might not be here to tell the story. Suddenly, the crowd attacked my soldiers with snowballs and clubs. People were yelling, “Fire! Fire!”—but I never gave that order. In the chaos, some soldiers fired their guns, thinking I had told them to. Three men died right away, including Mr. Gray, who had argued with soldiers earlier. Others were badly hurt. I tried to stop more shooting by knocking the guns upward with my hand. Then I heard thousands of angry townspeople were nearby, ready to fight. I moved my men to a safer spot and prepared for an attack. Eventually, the lieutenant governor helped calm things down, and most people went home.
Captain Thomas Preston's Account - The Evidence?
Summation of John Adams(Simplified)
Later that morning a thirty-four-year-old Boston attorney, John Adams (future 2nd President), was visited in his office near the stairs of the Town Office by a Boston merchant. "With tears streaming from his eyes" (according to the recollection of Adams), the merchant, James Forest, asked Adams to defend the soldiers and their captain, Thomas Preston. Adams understood that taking the case would not only subject him to criticism, but might jeopardize his legal practice or even risk the safety of himself and his family. But Adams believed deeply that every person deserved a defense. What should John Adams do?
Reasoning of John Adams(Simplified)
Defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre was really hard for me. People were angry and criticized me. But I believe it was one of the bravest and most important things I’ve ever done for my country. If those soldiers had been wrongly sentenced to death, it would have been a terrible mistake—just like the old trials of witches and Quakers. ~John Adams
Deposition of Theodore Bliss (Simplified)
I heard church bells ringing and went outside. People said there was going to be trouble with the soldiers. I saw Captain Preston with his men near the Custom House. I asked if their guns were loaded—he said yes, but didn’t say if they had bullets. Then the crowd started throwing snowballs and someone hit a soldier with a stick. That soldier stepped aside and fired his gun. A few others fired right after. I didn’t hear Captain Preston give the order to fire. I was standing close to him, so I think I would have heard it if he had. People were yelling “Fire!” but it was hard to tell who said it—maybe the crowd, maybe the soldiers. After the first shot, the crowd got more aggressive. I even tried to hit a soldier myself but missed. I saw Captain Preston standing in front of the soldiers when the first shot was fired.
Deposition of Theodore Bliss (Simplified) cont'd
SOLVE THE CASE!
Startover?
Want more? Play the Boston Massacre game
Subtitle
Subtitle
case solved