On what date did the Boston Massacre take place?

The Boston Massacre took place on March 5, 1770, in Boston, Massachusetts.

British soldiers fired into a crowd outside the Custom House after a tense confrontation with local residents. Five civilians died, including Crispus Attucks, and the event quickly became a powerful symbol for opponents of British rule.

The incident was called a “massacre” by Patriot propagandists, even though the circumstances involved a chaotic crowd, soldiers under pressure, and a later trial. John Adams, who was then a lawyer in Boston, defended the soldiers; the court acquitted most of them, while two were convicted of manslaughter.

Paul Revere's widely circulated engraving portrayed the event in a strongly anti-British way. The Boston Massacre preceded the Boston Tea Party and the fighting at Lexington and Concord, helping intensify colonial resistance before the Revolution.