1. Usually we toss snowballs at each other to have a good
time. We laugh, get our mittens wet. and then go inside to
have a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows. It’s all fun
and games, right? Not if you were a colonist in Boston in 1770.
Used to governing themselves, the colonists resented the
presence of British soldiers in their towns. The colonists
were also upset by all the tax laws the British were enforcing,
the latest being the Townshend Act. Tensions were high
between the colonists and British troops.
On the night of March 5, 1770, a group of angry colonists
challenged British soldiers stationed at the Custom House on
King Street. Insults, snowballs, and small rocks were thrown
by the colonists. The group quickly grew into a large crowd
that surrounded the British soldiers on duty.
In anger, confusion, and fear, the British soldiers fired their
weapons. When the smoke cleared, five colonists lay dead or
dying. Three more were injured. Among the first to die was
Crispus Attucks, an African American sailor who had escaped
slavery years earlier.
The soldiers were arrested for what was now called The
Boston Massacre (MAS uh kur). A massacre is the brutal
killing of many people. Many historians view these men as the
first to die in the American Revolution.
The Road to American Independence
Rebellion in the Colonies
Crispus Attucks
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-
massacre/videos/boston-massacre
Massacre
How did The Boston Massacre contribute to the start of
the American Revolution?
MAKE A CONNECTION
Boston Bloodbath
See last page for answers.

2. Describe what happened during the
Boston Massacre and explain its
significance.
“On this a general attack was made on
the men [Redcoats] by a great number of
heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown . . .
by which all our lives were in imminent
[immediate] danger . . . Instantly three or
four soldiers fired, one after another, and
directly after three more in the same
confusion and hurry. The mob ran away,
except three unhappy men who instantly
expired . . . On my asking the soldiers why
they fired without orders, they said they
heard the word fire and supposed it came
from me. This might be the case as many
of the mob called out fire, fire, but I assured
the men that I gave no such order.”
Testimony of Captain Thomas Preston
Paul Revere, “The Bloody Massacre in King-Street”
Explain the motivations of the Sons
of Liberty in staging the Boston Tea
Party.
THE
BIG
IDEAS
To the right are two descriptions of what happened on
March 5, 1770. Compare and contrast the description of
the British captain to that of patriot Paul Revere. How are
they the same? How do they differ? Why do they differ?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Paul Revere wasted no time in using the killings in Boston
to the advantage of the Sons of Liberty, a secret society
organized to break free of British rule. He created an
engraving, “The Bloody Massacre in King Street, March 5,
1770,” that showed unarmed and fleeing colonists being
cruelly murdered by British soldiers. He also wrote a poem
that stated that the dead were blameless and the soldiers were
“barbarians.”
Although the soldiers had been tried in court and found not
guilty of murder, Revere’s print and poem kept some
colonists angry enough that when the revolution began, they
were more than willing to fight.
See last page for answers.
VOCABULARY
massacre monopoly
Two Sides to Every Story
WHAT DO YOU THINK
What are the two sides to this event? Outline the colonists’
point of view and the British soldiers’ point of view.
Answers will vary.

3. The Boston Tea Party
Before they became Americans, the colonists were
British and enjoyed a good cup of cheap, hot tea. The
British began to tax the tea, making it more expensive.
The colonists began to smuggle a less expensive Dutch
tea into the colonies. The British were not happy.
In 1773, three years after the Boston Massacre, the
East India Company, an importer of tea to the colonies,
was struggling financially. To help the company
recover, the British government passed the Tea Act and
gave the company a monopoly on tea. A monopoly is
complete control of goods or services in a certain area.
Now, the colonists were not happy. They boycotted the
company’s tea.
On the night of December 16, 1773, a band of the
Sons of Liberty, poorly disguised as Mohawks,
climbed aboard three ships anchored in Boston Harbor.
The cargo of tea was tossed into the ocean while a
large crowd watched. 342 crates, with a total weight of
40 tons, turned the harbor into a huge cup of tea and
was a powerful statement of protest. Named the
Boston Tea Party, it was another significant event on
the march to the Revolutionary War.
monopoly
Paul Revere was one of 116 people that joined The Boston Tea Party
One day, you come to school to discover that the
school has issued a number of acts and taxes for
the things you do and use everyday. Imagine what
one might be and describe it below.
MAKE A CONNECTION
MAIN IDEA
Why did the Sons of Liberty dump the British tea
into the Boston Harbor?
They were coffee importers and wanted to
eliminate the competition.
They wanted to increase the price of tea by
decreasing the amount available.
They were protesting the Tea Act.
They were paid by the Dutch to destroy
British imports.
A.
B.
C.
D.

4. Additional Sources
http://www.history.org
http://www.readworks.org
http://www.gilderlehrman.org
http://cheekyhistory.blogspot.com
How did The Boston Massacre contribute to the start
of the American Revolution?
MAKE A CONNECTION
To the right are two descriptions of what happened on
March 5, 1770. Compare and contrast the description
of the British captain to that of patriot Paul Revere.
How are they the same? How do they differ? Why do
they differ?
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
WHAT DO YOU THINK
What are the two sides to this event? Outline the
colonists’ point of view and the British soldiers’ point
of view.
MAIN IDEA
Why did the Sons of Liberty dump the British tea
into the Boston Harbor?
The colonists believed the British were cruel
oppressors that murdered innocent people. This
angered them and pushed them closer to revolting
against British rule.
1 2 3 4
No details
to support
opinion
1 detail to
support
opinion
2 details
to support
opinion
3 details
to support
opinion
Answers will vary.
Students may do a T-chart or a Venn diagram.
Answers will vary. Examples:
Similar: Guns were fired. Colonists died.
Different: Shooting was an accident, shooting was
deliberate. One is written, the other is visual.
American Paul Revere didn’t mention the assault
on the soldiers by the colonists. The Captain was
tried for murder and didn’t want to hang, though his
testimony may be more honest than Revere.
They were coffee importers and wanted to
eliminate the competition.
They wanted to increase the price of tea by
decreasing the amount available.
They were protesting the Tea Act.
They were paid by the Dutch to destroy
British imports.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Answer: C
The colonists had grown tired of what they felt
was abuse from the British. This was a protest
against the tea tax being levied.
ANSWER KEY
Act Description
The Pencil Act
of 2016
Any student not having a
pencil in class shall be
fined $20.
Answers will vary.
One day, you come to school to discover that the
school has issued a number of acts and taxes for
the things you do and use everyday. Imagine what
one might be and describe it below.
MAKE A CONNECTION