Boston Massacre

I am an obstructionist but not a conservative. I am magnanimous but far from a liberal which in turn is not too far from a radical. But if there is one thing in this earth that I detest it is in fact a radical. These beings are always speculating, always plotting their next move in attempts to get the common folk to see things their way. Their tactics often involve the use of propaganda, which by its very own definition; it involves the stretching of the truth. In the case of the Boston Massacre the truth was stretched so much that the event is still pretty much open to debate. Paul Revere was one such radical who realized the event held rich propaganda value and used it as a weapon to fuel anti-British sentiment. He was one of many to call the event, the Boston Massacre when it was more of a Boston riot. In fact I refuse to refer to it as such and will simply call it the Tragedy.

The Tragedy began over a dispute about whether or not a British officer had paid his dues to a local wig maker. The dispute soon broke out into several confrontations between British forces and civilians. Mobs gathered all over the city and chaos erupted. A crowed of about 200 strong marched down Kings Street, with the fire bells ringing attracting dozens more to the streets. The crowd, now over 300 strong encircled 9 British officers. It is said that one of the rioters knocked down an officer and it was the downed officer who first shouted fire but it is still unclear as to who really fired first. According to the accounts a blast hit Samuel Gray, a rioter, blowing a whole in his head "as big as a hand". Crispus Attucks was also shot twice in the chest and died on the spot. As the crowd continued to move towards the officers more shots were fired until Captain Preston (according to his own statement) yelled, "Stop firing! Do not fire!", but it was too late dozens laid injured five of which died. In the days to come many propagandist jumped on the opportunity to label this day as the day of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere was simply one of them.

Paul Revere was one of the finest American craftsmen of the late eighteenth century. For this he was very respectable, but he chose to abandon this life in an effort to join the revolution. Paul Revere was an excellent radical, a leader for the extremist cause. And as history has thought us time after time, the greater the radical the greater the truth is to be stretched.