Five colonists were killed in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, in Boston’s King Street.
The confrontation began as a tense encounter between townspeople and British soldiers stationed in the city. A crowd gathered, insults and projectiles were exchanged, and soldiers fired into the crowd. The dead included Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, Samuel Maverick, and Patrick Carr.
Patriot leaders used the incident as powerful anti-British propaganda. Paul Revere’s famous engraving presented a strongly partisan image of the shooting and helped spread the name “Boston Massacre.”
The event was also followed by a notable legal proceeding. John Adams defended the soldiers, arguing that the law required a fair trial. Two soldiers were convicted of manslaughter, while the others were acquitted.