Adams defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre

John Adams was sometimes accused of lacking Whiggish passion despite having strong patriotic ideas and refusing to express them on any terms other than his own. However, on the night before the shooting—the "Boston Massacre," as Sam Adams didn't waste any time calling it—his heart and head were on the same side of the argument. He had seen the public's outpouring of sadness and rage at the end of February following the death of a youngster who had been shot and killed by a customs official during a set-to outside the official's home. Adams was inspired by the scene to create a radically new idea: "There are many more Lives to spend if wanted in the Service of their Country."

Adams, a conscientious lawyer, believed in the supremacy of the law, even if he joined the Sons of Liberty in protesting what they saw as unfair taxation by the British government. Adams offered to represent the nine British soldiers accused of manslaughter after the Boston Massacre in March 1770 resulted in the deaths of five Americans to ensure they received a fair trial. Seven defendants, including the British commander in charge, Captain Thomas Preston, were unexpectedly exonerated after Adams argued that the troops fired in self-defense against "a motley mob." The two soldiers who were found guilty of manslaughter received branding on their thumbs but did not receive jail time.