Sunday, February 7, 2010

Sunday Fun

Answer to last week's question: The Boston Massacre
This week's question: What famous event is this?
The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770. It was not truly a "massacre"--five died (either immediately or later on) and six were wounded.
And it was really more of a misunderstanding. After an argument between a British soldier and a local merchant in Boston, a mob gathered at the Customs House in Boston and began to throw things at the soldier. More British soldiers arrived to face the mob. When a colonist threw a club or stick at a soldier, causing him to fall, someone (who know who it was? It was not the captain, Thomas Preston) shouted "Fire". And so the soldiers did so.
However, this event fueled the anger and discontent that the colonists felt toward the British Army. About 4000 Redcoats were in the city, and many of the soldiers were vying with the population for part-time jobs. On top of the soldiers forcing them to pay taxes as demanded by Parliament, the soldiers were threatening many people's livelihoods. The Bostonians were not happy with the Redcoats in their city.

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