Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies p. 1 of 2American Propaganda: Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre

Name: _____________________________________________ Date: ___________ Class #: _____________This article contains the following “tier 2” vocabulary words:

Motley: made up of different kinds people Rabble: a uneducated, disorderly crowd Acquitted: found innocent in a trial Mulatto: Half-African American (by blood)

Dockworker: a person who loads and unloads ships at a port

Icon: a person who is very successful and admired

Patriot: a person who loves and strongly supports or fights for his or her country

Bayonet: a long knife that is attached to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon in battle

American Propaganda: Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre(RMM 9) (Adapted from “Crispus Attucks Biography “ “http://www.biography.com/people/crispus-attucks-9191864#revolutionary-hero

Crispus Attucks (1723—March 5, 1770) was killed in the Boston massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts, and is widely considered to be the first American death in the American Revolutionary War. Aside from the event of his death, very little is known about the life of Crispus Attucks. He may have been an escaped African American slave who found word as a dockworker and a sailor. His father was believed to be an African-born slave and his mother a Native American.

After his death Attucks became an icon of the abolition (or anti-slavery) movement. He was honored with a monument and a Massachusetts state holiday.

However, in the trail of Eight British soldiers following the Boston Massacre, Attucks was held responsible for starting the riots. In a surprise twist, the soldiers were defended in court by leading Patriot (and future US President) John Adams. Adams claimed the crowd gathered around the custom house was not a group of innocent patriots (as Paul Revere claimed in his famous poster) but “a motley rabble of (drunk) boys, negros, molattoes and Irish Catholics”. He claimed that it was Attucks’ “mad behavior” that was the cause of the riot. “Attucks”, said Adams, “took hold of a bayonet with one hand and knocked the man down with the other.

Other witnesses disagreed, claiming that the 47 year old Attucks was an innocent bystander who was simply "leaning on a stick" when the gunshots erupted. In the end, the Jury believed John Adams. Thanks to Adams succesful the soldiers involved in the incident were acquitted on the grounds of self defense.

The sad truth is that the real story of what happened on the night of the Boston Massacre may never be known.

Short Response Question: Two views of the Boston Massacre: Compare Image #1 was created by Paul Revere just days after the events of the Boston Massacre. Image #2 was painted by Boston artist James Wells Champney in 1856, nearly 100 years after the Boston massacre took place. What story is each images is trying to tell? How are these two images similar? How are they different? (use examples from both images in your response)

2 Point Grading Rubric

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2 Points: Response is clear and readable and author clearly provides two pieces of evidence 1 Points: Author provides one piece of evidence 0 Points: Author provides Insufficient evidence and /or

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Crispus Attucks

Image #1 Image #2

Mr. Cadenhead - 7th Grade Social Studies p. 2 of 2American Propaganda: Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre

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Extra Credit: Write (and perform) a poem (or rap) about Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre. Use the following vocabulary: Motley; Rabble; acquitted; Mulatto; Icon: Patriot: Bayonet; Propaganda; massacre; troops; gore; abolition; slavery; revolution