After years of political tension in colonial Boston, the Boston Massacre was a result of boiling tempers and social unrest. The riot-like atmosphere of the scene adds to this idea. Surrounded by angry townspeople, the soldiers acted out of panic and stress as the colonists would have done if the roles were reversed. On the guilt or innocence of Captain Thomas Preston, the facts undeniably point to his innocense. This conclusion is based on eye witness accounts, the mentality of the soldiers, and the actions of the crowd.

In all of the eyewitness accounts, it is consistently stated that the crowd was very rowdy and that they were taunting the British soldiers, daring them to fire. Also, from those accounts, it is fact that objects such as snowballs and sticks were thrown at the soldiers. It is evident too that some members of the angry crowd were armed, as seen in Benjamin Burdick's revelation that he returned home to obtain h

The actions of the crowd played a big roll in the actions of the soldiers and the events which came to be known as the Boston Massacre. The soldiers were grossly outnumbered by the angry citizens, being pelted with snowballs and large sticks. One soldier even had his gun knocked from his hands and fell to the ground well before the first shot was fired. In riot situations, nerves are raw and the power of an angry crowd to intimidate is awesome. The taunting by the inhabitants aimed at the soldiers to fire also led to the events of the Boston Massacre. With so many people shouting to fire, again it is understandable that a soldier mistook that voice for his captain's and started a chain reaction for all of the rest of the soldiers to follow suit. The crowd's understandable yet overly passionate reaction to the handful of soldiers plays a big part in the shooting that followed.

Captain Thomas Preston was not guilty of murder, and justice was served in the handing down of a not guilty verdict. The inconsistencies

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Approximate Word count = 691
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)