The event in Boston on March 5, 1770, that became a major symbol of colonial resistance was the Boston Massacre.
British soldiers fired into a crowd of colonists on King Street in Boston, killing five people, including Crispus Attucks. The confrontation followed years of tension caused by the military occupation of Boston, political disputes, and arguments over Parliament’s authority to tax and regulate the colonies.
Patriot leaders quickly used the incident as evidence of British oppression. Paul Revere produced a widely circulated engraving based on an image by Henry Pelham, portraying the soldiers firing in formation at an apparently unarmed crowd. The image helped shape public opinion even though it simplified the chaotic event.
The soldiers were defended by John Adams, who was then a lawyer and future president. Several were acquitted, while two were convicted of manslaughter. The Boston Massacre preceded the Boston Tea Party by more than three years and was one of the important events that deepened the imperial crisis.