Boston Massacre

The Boston Massacre signals the end of British authority in Boston. A time of relative quiet ensued as each side measures the other up and solidifies their spy and communication networks which is shattered by the passage of the Tea Act which led to the Boston Tea Party which led to the Coersive Acts which.....Anyhow, I found one of the most effective ways to teach the Boston Massacre is to re-enact it. I use the deposition of Thomas Preston and several accounts by colonists that witnessed the incident. These are great to teach point of view and bias as well. You can find the deposition easily on the net such as at http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/bostonmassacre/prestontrialexcerpts.html.

An excellent video follow-up is Discovery Channel's Unsolved History: The Boston Massacre which is available on Unitedstreaming under the video label Foundations of American Government. It is like a CSI investigation of the event. Push the desks back and have some fun!!!!

Boston in Turmoil

Boston was at the heart of the unrest which led to the American Revolution. One of the best books that I have recently read on the subject was Paul Revere and the World He Lived In by Esther Forbes, which won a Pulitzer Prize, by the way. It was extremely readable and well-researched. There have been many biographies of late on the Founding Fathers but pre-revolutionaries like Hancock, Adams and Otis among others who threw the pebbles that started this avalanche have largely been ignored. What a pity!!!