978-1-4222-3353-5

Seeds of Revolution

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on tea. That was kept to uphold the principle that Great Britain had the right to tax the colonies.

The Boston Massacre Meanwhile, some Bostonians seethed at the continuing presence of redcoats in their midst. To them, the British soldiers seemed like an occupying army. Resentments boiled over on the cold evening of March 5, 1770. A crowd of rowdy colonists milled around the Boston Customs House, jeering at a British soldier posted to guard the building. They pelted the soldier with snowballs and stones. When a squad of reinforcements arrived, the angry crowd pressed closer. A club hurled from the crowd knocked down one of

Paul Revere’s engraving of the March 1770 clash between Patriots and Redcoats became the most famous picture of the Boston Massacre. According to Revere’s version, Brit- ish troops opened fire on defenseless civilians. This was not quite accurate, but was useful as propaganda to stir up colonial support for the Patriots.