Before the end of March 1770 a grand jury had indicted Captain Preston, his eight soldiers and two customs officials accused of having fired from the Custom House. The trials did not start immediately. Thomas Gage, the commander of the British army in America, urged governor Hutchinson to procrastinate until tensions had calmed down. Adams sought to have separate trials for Preston and the soldiers. Since he was not accused of killing the defense would prove that he did not command his soldiers to shoot. In the trial of the soldiers Adams sought to prove that they were following orders…
Author: Staff writer
On the evening of March 5th, 1770 a group of sailors provoked British soldiers on guard by throwing snow balls and threatening them with clubs and sticks. Soon the situation grew out of control and soldiers started shooting at the rebels. Five were the casualties of this event known as the . The victims were Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Coldwell, Patrick Carr and Crispus Attucks. Five indictments were presented in the for the killing of five civilians. The defense team was led by future president John Adams who represented Captain Thomas Preston and the eight soldiers. The indictment for…
As a fugitive slave working as a sailor Crispus Attucks was always in danger on getting caught. For over twenty years he sailed out on a whaler from Boston Harbor and during his time off he worked as a rope maker near the wharf. In early 1770 competition for work and wages became stiffer as British soldiers were contending for the same unskilled positions as locals. This situation created tension which slowly escalated to violent confrontations. On Friday March 2nd a group of redcoats and rope makers collided in a bar in Boston. By this time tensions were high and…
Location: Boston Common. Between Tremont St and Avery St in Boston, Massachusetts. Map it. Artist: Robert Kraus Medium: Bronze The Boston Massacre / Crispus Attucks monument honors the victims of the . It stands at 25 feet high and 10 feet wide. On top stands a figure representing the Spirit of the Revolution inspired by Eugene Delacroix’s painting of Liberty Leading the People, a symbol of the French Revolution. She holds a broken chain in her right hand to symbolize freedom from the oppressors and in her left hand she holds the American flag. With her right foot she crushes…
John Boyle O’Reilly (1844-1890) was an Irish-born poet who wrote the poem Crispus Attucks. WHERE shall we seek for a hero, and where shall we find a story? Our laurels are wreathed for conquest, our songs for completed glory. But we honor a shrine unfinished, a column uncapped with pride, If we sing the deed that was sown like seed when Crispus Attucks died. Shall we take for a sign this Negro-slave with unfamiliar name— With his poor companions, nameless too, till their lives leaped forth in flame? Yea, sorely, the verdict is not for us, to render or…
To pay homage to Crispus Attucks many places have adopted his name. Many schools are named after him, as well as parks, theaters, community centers and playgrounds. Crispus Attucks Park in Washington DC’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. “The Secret Park it’s a unique space, a private community park occupying the courtyard space behind a single city block of houses in Washington DC’s Bloomingdale neighborhood. Map Crispus Attucks Playground located at Classon Ave, Brooklyn, New York. Map Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis School Board opened Crispus Attucks High School in 1927 as the first and only public high school for…
The following video is a re-enactment of the Boston Massacre by the History Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsDY5yywvUk Back to Crispus Attucks Homepage