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Seeds of Revolution
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on tea. That was kept to uphold the principle that Great Britain had the
right
to tax the colonies.
The Boston Massacre
Meanwhile, some Bostonians seethed at the continuing presence of redcoats
in their midst. To them, the British soldiers seemed like an occupying army.
Resentments boiled over on the cold evening of March 5, 1770. A crowd
of rowdy colonists milled around the Boston Customs House, jeering at a
British soldier posted to guard the building. They pelted the soldier with
snowballs and stones. When a squad of reinforcements arrived, the angry
crowd pressed closer. A club hurled from the crowd knocked down one of
Paul Revere’s engraving of the March 1770 clash between Patriots and Redcoats became
the most famous picture of the Boston Massacre. According to Revere’s version, Brit-
ish troops opened fire on defenseless civilians. This was not quite accurate, but was
useful as propaganda to stir up colonial support for the Patriots.