What Caused the Boston Massacre?

Jeffrey Sims Fabius-Pompey Elementary jsims@fabius.cnyric.org

On the evening of March 5, 1770, British soldiers opened fire on a

crowd of colonists who were assembled outside the Customs house. Five died and nine were

injured as a result of the musket fire.

Paul Revere’s famous print shows a well organized British army apparently

firing on innocent colonists.

Like any story, there is more to this event than is commonly revealed in

history books. It may be for the sake of space or to present an idealized

account, but there were distinct causes that led to this event. Some are very specific to the event and some are more global in nature.

Using the 3rd step of the AHPPA process, determine the causes that

led to the Boston Massacre.

Click on the following link to discover more details about this step

AHPPA Step 3

Once you have ascertained the various contributions from both parties, try to put

them into a “cause and effect” order.

As you research, create a chart with the following design to help you organize your information.

British Contributions to

the Causes

Colonists Contributions to

the Causes

Global Specific Global Specific

Use the following resources to find information relating to the causes of the Boston Massacre.

Resource 1 Resource 2

Resource 3 Resource 4

Resource 5 Resource 6

Resource 7 Resource 8