lawyer who defended the troops who shot into the crowd at the boston massacre

Which lawyer was involved in the Boston Massacre?

"A Lawyer Acquitted: John Adams and the Boston Massacre". American Journal of Legal History. 18 (3): 189–207. doi: 10.2307/845085.

What testimony did the defense have in the Boston Massacre?

Witnesses recalled how the mob had repeatedly called for the British soldiers to be killed. Particularly effective testimony for the defense came from Dr. John Jeffries, who had tended to one of the colonists killed on the night of March 5, 1770.

Who did John Adams defend in the Boston Massacre?

Adams defended the British officer Thomas Preston and his soldiers in two separate trials. Can you talk about the balancing act Adams undertook to defend all his clients without alienating his fellow Bostonians, many of whom fervently supported the broader patriot cause?

Who defended Preston in the Boston Massacre?

John Adams for the Defense. It took seven months to arraign Preston and the other soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and bring them to trial. Ironically, it was American colonist, lawyer and future President of the United States John Adams who defended them.

Who was the lawyer during the Boston Massacre?

The prosecution lawyers were Robert Treat Paine and Samuel Quincy. The defense team included John Adams, Josiah Quincy, Jr. (Samuel Quincy's brother), Sampson Salter Blowers, and Robert Auchmuty. Both trials lasted longer than one day, which was rare at this time for Massachusetts courts.

Who defended the Boston Massacre soldiers?

President John AdamsEight soldiers, one officer, and four civilians were arrested and charged with murder, and they were defended by future U.S. President John Adams.

Who defended Crispus Attucks?

John Adams, the future U.S. president who acted as one of the soldiers' defense attorneys, used Attucks' musculature—and his mixed-race lineage—in an effort to justify the British troops' fear of him.

Who is Richard palms?

Richard Palmes was a Boston resident at the time of the Boston massacre in 1770.

What was Samuel Adams role in the Boston Tea Party?

His unique perspective and his ability to galvanize popular support were pivotal in the success of the Boston Tea Party. Considered the leader of the protest movement against Parliament's authority in Massachusetts, Samuel Adams was instrumental in convincing people to join the Sons of Liberty.

Did John Adams participate in the Boston Tea Party?

Adams Reacts to the Boston Tea Party When he returned the very next morning, he was shocked that the Sons of Liberty undertook such a foolhardy course, but was nonetheless pleasantly surprised.

Who was Captain Preston?

Thomas Preston ( c. 1722—c. 1798) was a British officer, a captain who served in Boston in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He commanded troops in the Boston Massacre in 1770 and was tried for murder, but he was acquitted.

Was Crispus Attucks Black?

In 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man, became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre.

What happened Crispus Attucks?

Crispus Attucks, a sailor of mixed African and Indigenous ancestry, died in Boston on March 5, 1770 after British soldiers fired two musket balls into his chest.

Did Preston order fire?

Preston denied that he gave an order to fire and was supported by three defense witnesses, while four witnesses for the prosecution swore that he had given the order. The massacre label stood even after a Boston jury later acquitted Captain Preston and four of the soldiers of all charges.

Who picked up a musket after the Boston Massacre?

One of those protestors near the soldiers was a former slave named Crispus Attucks. The crowd continued to hurl verbal abuse and challenged the soldiers repeatedly to fire their weapons. Preston's men loaded their muskets in front of the crowd.

Who started the Boston Massacre?

The Boston Massacre began the evening of March 5, 1770 with a small argument between British Private Hugh White and a few colonists outside the Custom House in Boston on King Street. The argument began to escalate as more colonists gathered and began to harass and throw sticks and snowballs at Private White.

What was the Boston Massacre?

The incident was the climax of growing unrest in Boston, fueled by colonists’ opposition to a series of acts passed by the British Parliament. Espe...

Why did the Boston Massacre happen?

In 1767 the British Parliament passed the Townshend Acts, designed to exert authority over the colonies. One of the acts placed duties on various g...

Why was the Boston Massacre important?

The incident and the trials of the British soldiers, none of whom received prison sentences, were widely publicized and drew great outrage. The eve...

Who was involved in the Boston Massacre?

The Boston Massacre was a confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. The event was heavily publicized by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. British troops had been stationed in the Province of Massachusetts Bay since 1768 in order ...

What was the significance of the Boston Massacre?

The Boston Massacre is considered one of the most significant events that turned colonial sentiment against King George III and British Parliamentary authority. John Adams wrote that the "foundation of American independence was laid" on March 5, 1770, and Samuel Adams and other Patriots used annual commemorations ( Massacre Day) to encourage public sentiment toward independence. Christopher Monk was the boy who was wounded in the attack and died in 1780, and his memory was honored as a reminder of British hostility.

Why were British troops stationed in Massachusetts Bay?

British troops had been stationed in the Province of Massachusetts Bay since 1768 in order to support crown-appointed officials and to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. Amid tense relations between the civilians and the soldiers, a mob formed around a British sentry and verbally abused him.

What did Howard Zinn argue about Boston?

Howard Zinn argues that Boston was full of "class anger". He reports that the Boston Gazette published in 1763 that "a few persons in power" were promoting political projects "for keeping the people poor in order to make them humble.".

What was Boston known for?

Boston was the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and an important shipping town, and it was also a center of resistance to unpopular acts of taxation by the British Parliament in the 1760s .

What happened in the Boston Marathon?

For the 2013 bombing, see Boston Marathon bombing. The Boston Massacre was a confrontation on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers shot and killed several people while being harassed by a mob in Boston. The event was heavily publicized by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. British troops had been stationed in the Province ...

When is the Boston Massacre reenacted?

The massacre is reenacted annually on March 5 under the auspices of the Bostonian Society. The Old State House, the massacre site, and the Granary Burying Ground are part of Boston's Freedom Trail, connecting sites important in the city's history.

What was the Boston Massacre?

Boston Massacre, (March 5, 1770), skirmish between British troops and a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts. Widely publicized, it contributed to the unpopularity of the British regime in much of colonial North America in the years before the American Revolution. The Boston Massacre (1770) as depicted in a coloured engraving by Paul Revere.

Who was shot in the crowd at the Customs House?

Other soldiers, thinking they had heard the command to fire, followed suit. Three crowd members—including Crispus Attucks, a Black sailor who likely was formerly enslaved—were shot and died almost immediately. Two of the eight others who were wounded died later. Hoping to prevent further violence, Lieut. Gov. Thomas Hutchinson, who had been summoned to the scene and arrived shortly after the shooting had taken place, ordered Preston and his contingent back to their barracks, where other troops had their guns trained on the crowd. Hutchinson then made his way to the balcony of the Old State House, from which he ordered the other troops back into the barracks and promised the crowd that justice would be done, calming the growing mob and bringing an uneasy peace to the city.

What were the radicals doing in 1770?

Early in 1770, with the effectiveness of the boycott uneven, colonial radicals, many of them members of the Sons of Liberty, began directing their ire against those businesses that had ignored the boycott. The radicals posted signs (large hands emblazoned with the word importer) on the establishments of boycott-violating merchants and berated their customers. On February 22, when Ebenezer Richardson, who was known to the radicals as an informer, tried to take down one of those signs from the shop of his neighbour Theophilus Lillie, he was set upon by a group of boys. The boys drove Richardson back into his own nearby home, from which he emerged to castigate his tormentors, drawing a hail of stones that broke Richardson’s door and front window. Richardson and George Wilmont, who had come to his defense, armed themselves with muskets and accosted the boys who had entered Richardson’s backyard. Richardson fired, hitting 11-year-old Christopher Seider (or Snyder or Snider; sources differ on his last name), who died later that night. Seemingly, only the belief that Richardson would be brought to justice in court prevented the crowd from taking immediate vengeance upon him.

What happened on March 5th?

That night a crowd of Bostonians roamed the streets, their anger fueled by rumours that soldiers were preparing to cut down the so-called Liberty Tree (an elm tree in what was then South Boston from which effigies of men who had favoured the Stamp Act had been hung and on the trunk of which was a copper-plated sign that read “The Tree of Liberty”) and that a soldier had attacked an oysterman. One element of the crowd stormed the barracks of the 29th Regiment but was repulsed. Bells rang out an alarm and the crowd swelled, but the soldiers remained in their barracks, though the crowd pelted the barracks with snowballs. Meanwhile, the single sentry posted outside the Customs House became the focus of the rage for a crowd of 50–60 people. Informed of the sentry’s situation by a British sympathizer, Capt. Thomas Preston marched seven soldiers with fixed bayonets through the crowd in an attempt to rescue the sentry. Emboldened by the knowledge that the Riot Act had not been read—and that the soldiers could not fire their weapons until it had been read and then only if the crowd failed to disperse within an hour—the crowd taunted the soldiers and dared them to shoot (“provoking them to it by the most opprobrious language,” according to Thomas Gage, commander in chief of the British army in America). Meanwhile, they pelted the troops with snow, ice, and oyster shells.

What was the purpose of the Townshend Acts?

Those duties were part of a series of four acts that became known as the Townshend Acts, which also were intended to assert Parliament’s authority over the colonies , in marked contrast to the policy of salutary neglect that had been practiced by the British government during the early to mid-18th century.

What were the duties of the British government in the 1767 War?

Those duties were part of a series of four acts that became known as the Townshend Acts, which also were intended to assert Parliament’s authority over the colonies, in marked contrast to the policy of salutary neglect that had been practiced by the British government during the early to mid-18th century. The imposition of those duties—on lead, glass, paper, paint, and tea upon their arrival in colonial ports—met with angry opposition from many colonists in Massachusetts. In addition to organized boycotts of those goods, the colonial response took the form of harassment of British officials and vandalism. Parliament answered British colonial authorities’ request for protection by dispatching the 14th and 29th regiments of the British army to Boston, where they arrived in October 1768. The presence of those troops, however, heightened the tension in an already anxious environment.

What was the colonial response to the British?

In addition to organized boycotts of those goods, the colonial response took the form of harassment of British officials and vandalism. Parliament answered British colonial authorities’ request for protection by dispatching the 14th and 29th regiments of the British army to Boston, where they arrived in October 1768.

What was the prelude to the Boston Massacre?

Prelude to the Boston Massacre. Violence Erupts between Colonists and Soldiers. Boston Massacre Fueled Anti-British Views. John Adams Defends the British. Aftermath of the Boston Massacre. Sources. The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists ...

How many colonists were killed in the Boston Massacre?

Once the first shot rang out, other soldiers opened fire, killing five colonists–including Crispus Attucks, a local dockworker of mixed racial heritage–and wounding six. Among the other casualties of the Boston Massacre was Samuel Gray, a rope maker who was left with a hole the size of a fist in his head.

What did Paul Revere do to encourage anti-British attitudes?

Paul Revere encouraged anti-British attitudes by etching a now-famous engraving depicting British soldiers callously murdering American colonists. It showed the British as the instigators though the colonists had started the fight.

Why did the colonists pled with the soldiers to hold their fire?

Worried that bloodshed was inevitable, some colonists reportedly pleaded with the soldiers to hold their fire as others dared them to shoot. Preston later reported a colonist told him the protestors planned to “carry off [White] from his post and probably murder him.”.

How long did it take for John Adams to arraign Preston?

GraphicaArtis/Getty Images. It took seven months to arraign Preston and the other soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre and bring them to trial. Ironically, it was American colonist, lawyer and future President of the United States John Adams who defended them.

Why did Adams want a fair trial?

Adams was no fan of the British but wanted Preston and his men to receive a fair trial. After all, the death penalty was at stake and the colonists didn’t want the British to have an excuse to even the score. Certain that impartial jurors were nonexistent in Boston, Adams convinced the judge to seat a jury of non-Bostonians.

What happened to the colonists after they said the word "fire"?

Reports differ of exactly what happened next, but after someone supposedly said the word “fire,” a soldier fired his gun, although it’s unclear if the discharge was intentional.

Who was elected to the Massachusetts legislature after the trial?

I have found that in the aftermath of the trial, Adams' was elected to the Massachusetts colonial legislature.

Who was John Adams' opponent?

Thomas Jefferson was John Adams' political opponent, losing to him in 1796 but ultimately defeating him four years later. Willard Sterne Randall 's Thomas Jefferson: A Life, only mentions the Boston trial in a single paragraph in the context of the pre-Revolutionary Era; not in either election.

What were the boys throwing at the soldiers?

Again, you find conflicting reports about the massacre. Boys were throwing snowballs at the soldiers. The snowballs might’ve also included oyster shells or other things.

What was John Adams' most important service?

I've read that John Adams, late in his life, described the Boston Massacre defense as the most important service he had ever done for his country.

What was Adams' role in the Treaty of Paris?

He then went on to become America's first Ambassador to Great Britain.

How many rioters were there in the Boston Massacre?

The so called Boston Massacre was the result of 8 Crown soldiers defending themselves from violent assault from a crowd of 1200 rioters. You decide what it should be labelled.

How many people were killed in the Ludlow massacre?

The Colorado miners were striking for better conditions and had not shown any violence but during the dispute the National Guard killed up to 199 men, women and children.

What did the extreme patriots think of the lynching of Preston?

Extreme patriots regarded the absence of a lynching of Preston and his men as proof of the impartiality of Boston justice. John Adams, possessing strong patriotic views by refusing to express them on any terms but his own, sometimes was suspected of a lack of Whiggish zeal.

Where was John Adams carried?

He was carried along to King Street, where a file of redcoats was formed up at a distance from some blood-stained ice. Nearby two townspeople lay dead; three were mortally wounded. Adams, who had been spending a convivial evening in the South End with members of his club, now thought of home.

How long did it take for Adams to prepare for Rex v. Wemms?

Adams had a week or ten days in which to prepare for the second and final massacre, Rex v. Wemms et al. That the wheels of justice did not turn without lubrication in those days is obvious from the itemized expenses for which Adams later sought reimbursement from the British army.

What inference to be drawn from the Preston verdict?

The inference to be drawn from the Preston verdict was that they had fired without a lawful order. To the Whigs, they were murderers. For the student of John Adams’s life and thought, the most important feature of the second massacre trial was the presence in the courtroom of a shorthand writer.

What was the noble speech that Adams gave to James Forrest?

We have only Adams’s word for the noble speech he delivered to the merchant, James Forrest, but it would not have been out of character: “I had no hesitation in answering that Council ought to be the very last thing that an accused Person should want in a free Country. That the Bar ought in my opinion to be independent and impartial at all Times And in every Circumstance. And that Persons whose Lives were at Stake ought to have the Council they preferred: But he must be sensible this would be as important a Cause as ever was tried in any Court or Country of the World: and that every Lawyer must hold himself responsible not only to his Country, but to the highest and most infallible of all Trybunals for the Part he should Act. He must therefore expect from me no Art nor Address, No Sophistry or Prevarication in such a Cause nor any thing more than Fact, Evidence and Law would justify.” Forrest replied that that was all the defendant wanted. Payment of a single guinea constituted Adams’s retainer.

How many people were acquitted of Adams' crimes?

Six were acquitted, and two were found guilty of manslaughter. (Their punishment was to be branded on the right thumb by the Boston sheriff.) More than this, however, the speech illuminated the core of Adams’s political thought, especially his view of the human material of which politics is made.

When did John Adams give his closing arguments?

On the morning of the fourth day, Saturday, October 27, Adams rose to give the first of the defense’s closing arguments. If Preston still harbored doubts about his famous Whig attorney, he soon had reason enough to lay them aside.

Who was the British officer in charge of the Boston Massacre?

Eight British soldiers and their officer in charge, Captain Thomas Preston, faced charges for murdering five colonists. Not far from the Custom House, a 34-year-old Boston attorney sat in his office ...

Why was the Boston Massacre important?

The Boston Massacre certainly could have led to the revolution six years earlier, but it didn’t because people accepted a very controversial verdict. As we talk about in the book, part of the reason the trial transcript was so important was so anyone who wasn’t in court could still review what the witnesses said. It wasn’t just British soldiers haphazardly firing on colonists.

What happened in Boston on March 6th 1770?

The blood remained fresh on the snow outside Boston’s Custom House on the morning of March 6 , 1770. Hours earlier, rising tensions between British troops and colonists had exploded into violence when a band of Redcoats opened fire on a crowd that had pelted them with not just taunts, but ice, oyster shells and broken glass. Although the soldiers claimed to have acted in self-defense, patriot propaganda referred to the incident as the Boston Massacre. Eight British soldiers and their officer in charge, Captain Thomas Preston, faced charges for murdering five colonists.

Why did Dan Abrams think there was a legitimate defense?

But I also think he learned a little about the case and thought there was a legitimate defense—because the events were not as clear cut as some patriots wanted to make them out to be. He also knew there were a couple of attorneys who said they would take the case as long as he was part of the team.

How old was John Adams when he was a lawyer?

Not far from the Custom House, a 34-year-old Boston attorney sat in his office and made a difficult decision. Although a devout patriot, John Adams agreed to risk his family’s livelihood and defend the British soldiers and their commander in a Boston courtroom. At stake was not just the fate of nine men, but the relationship between ...

Who is the author of John Adams Under Fire?

In the new book John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father’s Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial, Dan Abrams and coauthor David Fisher detail what they call the “most important case in colonial American history” and an important landmark in the development of American jurisprudence. Abrams, who is also the chief legal affairs ...

Did Captain Preston order his men to fire?

Stunningly so. I think the verdicts are almost exactly what we would see today. It’s obvious to me that Captain Preston didn’t order his men to fire, and he was acquitted. They could have convicted all the soldiers for the actions of one or two of them, but they didn’t—because there simply wasn’t evidence that the others were involved in the shooting. And I think that’s an amazing testament to the jurors of the day.

Early Life

John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, to his father, John Adams Sr., and his mother, Susanna Boylston, and had two younger brothers, Peter and Elihu.

Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre was a conflict in Boston on March 5, 1770. British soldiers shot and killed many people, perceiving them as a mob, and leading patriots including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams heavily publicized the event.

Boston massacre trial

Following the Boston Massacre, Captain Thomas Preston, eight British soldiers, and five British civilians were charged for murder. They were exposed to the possibility of execution and could not find a defense team as they would have to defend them in the anti-British city of Boston.

Balancing Act of Adams to defend his clients without distancing his fellow Bostonians

These days, criminal defense lawyers regularly take John Adams’s defense of the British soldiers to to represent specific clients. He did not blame the city for initiating the riot and focused on facts.

Conclusion

It is generally unsatisfying to get a mixed verdict in a case involving so much passion and emotion. However, these cases serve as a compelling example, and the Boston Massacre trial was among these trials.

Trouble in The Colonies

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The Search For Justice

The Trial Begins

The Impact on Today’S Legal System

Overview

Background

Incident

Aftermath

Legacy

See also

Sources

Further reading