CHAPTER 6 • SECTION 2 On March 5, 1770, a group of colo- nists—mostly youths and dockwork- ers—surrounded some soldiers in front of the State House. Soon, the two groups More About . began trading insults, shouting at each other and even throwing snowballs. The Boston Massacre As the crowd grew larger, the soldiers began to fear for their safety. Thinking The animosity of the American dockworkers they were about to be attacked, the sol- toward the British soldiers was about more diers fired into the crowd. Five people, than political issues. Men who worked on including Crispus Attucks, were killed. the docks and ships feared impressment— The people of Boston were outraged being forced into the British navy. Also, at what came to be known as the Boston many British soldiers would work during Massacre. In the weeks that followed, the their off-hours at the docks—increasing colonies were flooded with anti-British propaganda in newspapers, pamphlets, competition for jobs and driving down and political posters. Attucks and the wages. In the days just preceding the four victims were depicted as heroes Boston Massacre, several confrontations who had given their lives for the cause Paul Revere’s etching had occurred between British soldiers and of the Boston Massacre of freedom. The British soldiers, on the other hand, were portrayed as evil American dockworkers over these issues. fueled anger in the and menacing villains. colonies. At the same time, the soldiers who had fired the shots were arrested and Are the soldiers represented fairly in charged with murder. John Adams, a lawyer and cousin of Samuel Adams, Revere’s etching? agreed to defend the soldiers in court. Many people criticized Adams and Answer: Students may some even threatened to harm the lawyer. But Adams believed that every- Teach say that the soldiers one—including the British soldiers—was entitled to a fair trial. Although are portrayed as the aggressors. Adams supported the colonists’ cause, he wanted to demonstrate that every- Economic Interference one was subject to the rule of law. Adams argued that the soldiers had acted in self-defense. The jury agreed Think, Pair, Share and acquitted the soldiers. To many colonists, however, the Boston Massacre • How did colonists react to the continued tax on would stand as a symbol of British tyranny in the colonies. tea? (They boycotted British tea by drinking tea Answer: Colonists SUMMARIZE Describe how colonists protested British laws. smuggled from Holland, and they became more formed several secret societies and also politically active.) organized public protests. Economic Interference • How did the Tea Act hurt some colonists KEY QUESTION How did colonists in the port cities react to the Tea Act? economically? (Shippers and merchants who In April 1770, Parliament repealed the Townshend Acts. Once again, the sold tea were officially shut out of the tea colonial boycott had worked—British trade had been hurt and Parliament trade.) had backed down. But Parliament kept the tea tax to show that it still had • Causes and Effects How did colonial unity the right to tax the colonists. expand? (Possible Answer: Colonial leaders The Tea Act Increases Anger To demonstrate their displeasure with the began to communicate with each other through remaining tax on tea, many colonists chose not to purchase luxuries from committees of correspondence on colonial British merchants. Instead, they drank tea that was smuggled from Holland. affairs and resistance to British policy.) As a result, many British tea companies lost money in America as their tea went unsold and rotted in ports. 164 Chapter 6 DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION English Learners Gifted & Talented Vocabulary: Word Boston Massacre Journal Relationships Entries To enrich students’ language, read the Have students create a series of journal first paragraph on this page aloud, entries written from the perspective of pausing at intervals to ask students to either: paraphrase. Take this opportunity to pick • an observer of the Boston Massacre the language apart, asking questions • a participant in the Boston Massacre such as, “Can you show me what surrounded means?” You may also want There should be an entry for the day to discuss synonyms and antonyms, before, the day of, and the day after as well as the compound words the event. Ask volunteers to share their dockworkers and snowballs. entries with the class. 164 • Chapter 6 Attempting to save British tea merchants, Parliament passed the Tea Act CHAPTER 6 • SECTION 2 in 1773. This law gave one company, the East India Company, the exclusive right to sell tea in the colonies. Although the act lowered the price of tea for colonists, it also restricted colonists from acting as shippers and merchants of the valuable product. More About . Many colonists—particularly those who had traded in smuggled tea— were enraged by the new tax. Colonists saw the tea act as another attempt Circular Letters by Parliament to interfere in the economic life of the colonies. One form of communication among Colonial Unity Expands By this time, colonial leaders understood the the colonies were secret letters, known importance of unity among the colonies. Therefore, Samuel Adams urged as circular letters. In 1768, Samuel many towns in Massachusetts to establish committees of correspondence to Adams caused quite a stir by drafting communicate with their neighboring towns and colonial leaders. In the months that followed, these groups exchanged numerous secret a circular letter informing the other letters on colonial affairs and resistance to British policy. Before long, many colonial assemblies of the opposition of other colonies—such as New York, South Carolina, and Rhode Island—had Massachusetts to the Townshend Acts— created similar committees of correspondence. and calling on them to oppose the acts, too. British officials threatened to take harsh action if Massachusetts officials did not revoke Adams’s letter. Not only was the History Makers Revolutionary Leaders letter not revoked, it was supported by the colonial assemblies of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. Unit 3 Resource Book • Active Citizenship, pp. 257–258 RESEARCH & Go online to explore moreWRITING of the CENTER heated debate at History Makers RevolutionaryClassZone.com Leaders Samuel Adams 1722–1803 John Adams 1735–1826 Samuel Adams and John Adams When Parliament levied taxes upon the colonies, no While his cousin Samuel planned fiery public protests, Find links to biographies of Samuel one responded with greater passion and fury than John Adams used a quieter tactic—the law—to counter Adams and John Adams at the Research Boston merchant Samuel Adams. A skillful writer, British policy. “Facts are stubborn things,” Adams wrote, and Writing Center @ ClassZone. orator, and popular leader of the Sons of Liberty and “and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the com. Though different in ages and the Boston Committee of Correspondence, Samuel dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts personalities—John was cautious and Adams persuaded many colonists to unite against and evidence.” Putting this theory into practice, Adams reasonable, while Samuel was fiery and British policy and taxation. “It does not require a helped draft a legal petition to the king suggesting that boisterous—the two cousins got along majority to prevail,” Samuel Adams wrote,“but rather Parliament had no right to tax the colonies. an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in rather well. However, the two men’s relationship collapsed over the issue of people’s minds.” COMPARING Leaders politics. In 1796, John ran for president as For more information about Samuel How did Samuel and John Adams differ in the way they a member of the Federalist Party—a party ONLINE and John Adams, go to the Research protested British actions? Samuel considered elitist and an enemy of BIOGRAPHY & Writing Center @ ClassZone.com the common people. Samuel accused John of betraying “the principles of ’75,” and he The Road to Revolution 165 campaigned vigorously against his cousin. Nonetheless, John Adams and the Federalists DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION: TIERED ACTIVITIES won the election. Disgusted, Samuel retired from political life. He died in 1803. • Do you think it is possible to be friends OBJECTIVE Defend a position on whether the Boston Tea Party was an act of patriotism or with someone who holds political views vandalism. that are different from yours? Why or Basic On Level Challenge why not? (Yes—Friends also may have hobbies and other interests in common; Have students review the Have students conduct Have students prepare for No—Friends need to share the same section and consult other independent research on the a debate on the subject values, such as views on politics.) library or online resources on Boston Tea Party. Then have of whether the Boston the Boston Tea Party. Then them deliver a persuasive Tea Party was an act of COMPARING LEADERS ANSWER have them work in pairs to speech, either in support of patriotism or an act of Samuel Adams used fiery speeches and was create a poster that would the Boston Tea Party as a vandalism. Have students a member of the Sons of Liberty, while John be displayed in a public place patriotic act or against it as agree on the rules of debate, Adams believed in more moderate means of that states a response to the an act of vandalism. including time limits, before resistance. Boston Tea Party as an act of they debate. patriotism or vandalism. Teacher’s Edition • 165 CHAPTER 6 • SECTION 2 The Boston Tea Party Protests against the Tea Act took place throughout the colonies. In Charlestown, South Carolina, colonists unloaded tea and let it rot on the docks. In New York City and Philadelphia, colonists blocked tea ships from landing.