Boston Massacre Lesson Investigation

What happened?! ...
Who's responsible?

​Source 1: Describe the Setting: What do you see and hear?

Think of:
Setting
Time of day
Actions among humans
Words said, etc.

Multiple Select

The scene's setting could be described as ...

• Nighttime

• Day time

• In a city

• In a forest

• Cold weather

Multiple Select

The scene included ...

• Crowds of colonists

• Crowds of Indians

• Redcoat officers

• French officers

• Shouting from both sides

​2. List any names involved in this scene and who did what?

Think of:
Colonists
Redcoat officers
Victims of violence

Multiple Select

Edward Garrick, based on the scene, was known for ...

• Shouting at redcoat officers at the front of the crowd

• Blending into the back line of the crowd

• First colonist hit by an officer

• First colonist to get killed by an officer

Multiple Select

Private Hugh Montgomery, based on the scene, was known for ...

• first officer hit by a club from the colonists

• Captian of the redcoat officers

• First colonist hit by an officer

• Appears to shoot first among officers

Multiple Select

Crispus Attucks, based on the scene, was known for ...

• First colonist to get killed by the officers

• Attacked an officer first

• First colonist hit by an officer

• African American man

​3. Based on this source, who's responsible for the situation and why?

Think of:
Colonists
Redcoat officers

Open Ended

Based on this source, who was resonsible for the event?

Open Ended

How do perspectives change the truth in stories?

Think about how the different camera angles showed different stories of the man running down the sidewalk

What happened?! ...
Who's responsible?

Source #2: Paul Revere's Engraving

List 10 details you see/notice in the engaving

Labelling

Identify what's in this engraving:

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

New York city

Captain of redcoats

Colonists

the sun

Redcoat officers

Colonists victims

Boston town square

French officers

The moon

Hotspot

Which detail establishes the time of day for this scene?

Hotspot

Which detail reveals that the redcoats were ordered to shoot the colonists??

Poll

Based on the engraving, do the colonists posess weapons?

Remember: The History Channel Reenactment showed a club struck one of the officers.

• No weapons for the colonists

• I can see a weapon in the colonists' possession

Poll

Based on the engraving, how many colonists were killed in the scene?

Remember: The History Channel Reenactment said at least 4 colonists were shot dead.

• None

• 1 dead

• 2 dead

• 3 dead

• 4 dead

Drag and Drop

​

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showed the ​

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as the villians of the scene while the ​

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were the victims of the scene.



​

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showed ​

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as guilty in some capacity.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Paul Revere's engraving

Redcoats

colonists

The History channel's reenactment

both sides

Categorize

Options (9)

Edward Garrick gets hit first

Captian of redcoats orders men to fire

Private Montgomery hit by colonists

Setting: night time

At least 4 colonists dead

Redcoats lined up, shoulder to shoulder to fire at colonists

Crispus Attucks first colonist killed

Colonists have no weapons on them

Both sides are yelling at each other

Organize these details into the sources the belong to so far:

Source #1 History Channel

Source #2 Revere's Engraving

Both sources

Open Ended

Based on Paul Revere's engraving, what happened and who's responsible?

What happened?! ...
Who's responsible?

Source #3: Captain Thomas Preston's Account

Captain Preston's Account

Paragraph #1

“In my way I saw the people in great commotion, and heard them use the most cruel and horrid threats against the troops...... They immediately surrounded the sentry posted there, and with clubs and other weapons threatened to execute their vengeance on him.”

Match

Match the following

• Chaos, usually in a harmful manner

• Horrible or something done in a distasteful manner

• A soldier stationed in one positon

• Punishment for wrong doing

• To carry out or complete the task

Commotion

Horrid

Sentry

Vengeance

Execute

• Commotion

• Horrid

• Sentry

• Vengeance

• Execute

Captain Preston's Account

Paragraph #2

“They (the soldiers) soon rushed through the people, and by charging their bayonets in half-circles, kept them at a little distance. The mob still increased and were more outrageous, striking their clubs or bludgeons one against another, and calling out, come on you rascals, you bloody backs, you lobster scoundrels, fire if you dare, G-d damn you, fire and be damned, we know you dare not, and much more such language was used.”

Match

Match the following

• Musket guns with blades at the end for combat

• Out of control with little to now reasioning

• A weaponized stick or wooden club

• A trouble-maker, usually a kid

• A dishonest person

Bayonets

Outrageous

Bludgeon

Rascel

Scoundral

• Bayonets

• Outrageous

• Bludgeon

• Rascel

• Scoundral

Captain Preston's Account

Paragraph #3

“At this time I was between the soldiers and the mob, parleying with, and endeavouring all in my power to persuade them to retire peaceably, but to no purpose.On which some well behaved person asked me if the guns were charged. I replied yes. They then asked me if I intended to order the men to fire. I answered no, by no means.... While I was thus speaking, one of the soldiers having received a severe blow with a stick, stepped a little on one side and instantly fired, on which turning to and asking him why he fired without orders, I was struck with a club on my arm, which for some time deprived me of the use of it, which blow had it been placed on my head, most probably would have destroyed me.” 

Match

Match the following

• A meeting between 2 sides to settle a dispute

• Trying hard to achieve something

• To convince someone to change their opinion and/or actions with reasoning

• Not in any way

• Taken away from someone

Parley

Endeavour

Persuade

"No Means"

Deprived

• Parley

• Endeavour

• Persuade

• "No Means"

• Deprived

Captain Preston's Account

Paragraph #4

“On this a general attack was made on the men by a great number of heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown at them, by which all our lives were in imminent danger, some persons at the same time from behind calling out, damn your bloods why don't you fire. Instantly three or four of the soldiers fired, one after another, and directly after three more in the same confusion and hurry. The mob then ran away….”

Match

Match the following

• Soon or in a short moment

• Basic, not specific to one thing

• A group of people with the same intentions

Imminent

General

Mob

• Imminent

• General

• Mob

Multiple Select

Captain Preston's Account and the History Channel's Reenactment shared which similarities?

• Redcoats tried to keep a distance with the crowd

• Shouting from BOTH the redcoats and crowd

• Redcoat officer struck by someone in the crowd

• Crowd hit first

Multiple Select

Captain Preston's Account and Paul Revere's engraving shared which similarities?

• Redcoats were surrounded by the crowd

• Captain Preston ordered NOT to fire

• Redcoat officers shot down several colonists

• Crowd had weapons on them

Drag and Drop

The History Channel's reenactment, which is a secondary​ source, shows ​

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as guilty parties in the situation.



Paul Revere's Engraving, which is a primary source, showed the ​

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as the guilty party while the ​

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were victims of the situation.



Captain Thomas Preston's account, which is also a primary source, showed the colonists as the ​

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while the redcoats were the ​

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of the situation.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

both the redcoats and colonists

redcoats

colonists

guilty party

victims

Categorize

Options (18)

Edward Garrick gets hit first

Captian of redcoats orders men to fire

Private Montgomery hit by colonists

Crispus Attucks first colonist killed

Colonists have no weapons on them

Both sides are yelling at each other

Redcoats were surrounded by the crowd

Night time setting

Redcoats were insulted and dared to fire by the crowd

Shots fired by the redcoats, some colonists died

Several redcoats hit by colonists

Captain of redcoats did not order men to fire

Secondary source, not from the time period

Primary source - colonist perspective/bias

Primary source - Redcoat perspective/bias

Event happens in downtown Boston

Snowballs thrown at redcoats

No sign of snow on the ground

Organize these details into the sources the belong to:

Source #1 History Channel

Source #2 Revere's Engraving

Source #3: Preston's Account

All sources