History Daily The Boston Massacre
Mar 5, 2026
A vivid retelling of the March 5, 1770 street clash that turned deadly. Tensions over British troops stationed in Boston and the petty disputes that ignited violence are explored. The legal drama of the trials and how the verdicts fanned anti-British sentiment are highlighted. The story is placed in the larger sweep toward the first shots of the Revolution.
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Chaos Outside The Customs House
- A street brawl outside Boston's Customs House on March 5, 1770 escalated when soldiers faced a mob throwing snowballs and rocks.
- Captain Thomas Preston tried to intervene but gunfire broke out, leaving five colonists dead in the snow.
Massacre Fueled Revolutionary Momentum
- The shootings transformed local sentiment, moving many Bostonians from uneasy tolerance to active resistance.
- The blood in the snow is presented as the moment the seeds of revolution were planted in Massachusetts.
Small Dispute Triggered By Garrick
- Tensions rose after Parliament's taxes and the Crown's decision to send 1,000 soldiers; Preston arrived October 1768 and initially lived peacefully among Bostonians.
- A wigmaker's apprentice, Edward Garrick, ignited the immediate clash by accusing an officer of not paying a bill.