Samuel Adams Involved in the Boston Massacre
A fight between the Redcoats and the colonists led to the Boston Massacre. A group of patriots attacked a loyalist's business, sparking the slaughter. In an attempt to disperse the gathering, customs officer Ebenezer Richardson fired his revolver from inside his home, but in the process, he murdered an eleven-year-old kid. The shooting caused other brawls to break out. Days later, colonists began to annoy the officer at the Customs House who was in charge of protecting the king's money. Soldiers arrived on the scene, and a shot was finally fired—it is unknown if this was an intended shot or not. Six colonists were hurt and five were slain in the ensuing struggle.
Adams spread misinformation regarding the incident. Information intended to alter public opinion is known as propaganda. The Boston Massacre was given its name by Adams and Paul Revere. He handed out posters, and after the massacre, boycotts become more intense.
Following the Boston Massacre, Adams and other town officials met with Colonel William Dalrymple, the army commander, and Thomas Hutchinson, Governor Bernard's successor, to request the evacuation of the troops. Since the situation was still volatile, Dalrymple consented to transfer both troops to Castle William. Adams desired a just outcome for the soldiers because it would demonstrate that Boston was not subject to an unjust occupation but rather was the victim of a disorderly crowd. Knowing that the Whigs would not defame Boston in order to secure an acquittal, he persuaded his cousins John Adams and Josiah Quincy to support the soldiers. Adams, however, published essays criticizing the verdicts in the cases; he believed that the troops deserved to have been found guilty of murder.
