Revere, Paul, Engraver. The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th by a party of the 29th Regt. Boston Massachusetts, 1770. Boston: Engrav'd Printed & Sold by Paul Revere. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2008661777/.
Revere was close to the Loyal Nine, a precursor to the Sons of Liberty, and deeply involved in the Patriots Against the Stamp Act. The use of this print at the time to influence public opinion can offer teachers a way to introduce/teach rhetoric to students.
What makes this print remarkable is its attribution to Paul Revere, one of the principal historical actors involved in the initial revolutionary movement that would lead to the formation of the United States. The engraving was used as a means of gaining support for the fight against British authority and governance of the colonies. It speaks clearly to historical places, space, and time.
There are numerous parallels between the Boston Massacre and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Using contemporary political and societal issues as a gateway to understanding the past fosters classroom engagement. It allows students to learn about instances of government actors using authority in a way that can be perceived as being detrimental to a community as a whole.
The print can also be used as an illustration to compare and contrast with “The Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre,” which is a historical account of the incident as reported from various eye witnesses, many of whom remained anonymous for fear of retaliation.
The 1770 engraving shows the moment when a physical confrontation between the two sides—Colonial and Loyalist—occurs. It clearly delineates each side. The event depicted in the engraving would become a pivotal moment in the build-up to the Revolutionary War, although at the time the clash occurred neither side had any way of knowing this. The colonists and loyalists each seized the opportunity to use the event to their advantage, and this engraving is widely considered a sensationalized depiction of a historical event.
- The primary source is an engraving depicting the Boston Massacre that occurred in March 1770. It was printed by Paul Revere and can be understood as early propaganda for the yet-to-come Revolutionary War with Great Britain.
- As a form of media or communication, the visual’s aim is to stoke revolutionary sentiment against the tyranny of King George III. It depicts the clash between a group of Colonial youth and officers of the British Navy, who acted as local authorities at the time.
- The engraving captures a moment in a protracted period of conflict between two opposing political factions. Both sides would attempt to use this moment of conflict to their advantage
- What really happened on the night of March 5, 1770? Who are we to believe, and based on what facts?
- What is the “danger of a single story” when it comes to the perceptions of historical actors and events?
- Why is it important to read multiple accounts of a historic event?
- Information dissemination was crucial to the revolutionary cause, so how did this event shape the press’s influence on the American Revolution? How do events shape the press’s influence on contemporary movements?
- Can the press ever be completely neutral in its reporting of a historical event? If not, why not?
- In the wake of the clash, both sides of the yet-to-be Revolutionary War focused on Crispus Attucks’s death. How did each side use this Black man to their advantage?
Common Core State Standards
RI.11-12.2: Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI.11-12.3: Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
RI.11-12.6: Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power, persuasiveness or beauty of the text.
- Teachers can apply all three of the above standards in analyzing the print’s effectiveness as a rhetorical tool. How persuasive is it in convincing the reader/viewer that the colonists are the victims of the skirmish between the two sides?
- How does the print illustrate the building tensions in historical sequence?
- How effective is this print in predicting what will happen next (historically) for students?
- Teachers can have students determine the objectivity (if any) of the print from either side’s point of view.
- Have students analyze the Boston Massacre and contemporary events that involve government authorities both nationally and in their own community. This fosters civic engagement and empowerment. For example, have the class use the print’s depiction of the Boston Massacre to discuss effective behavior that deescalates confrontations with police power.
- Have students analyze this print to understand how the methods and power of the state to regulate public safety for the common good have changed over time, as well as their historical continuity.
- Have students research current racial inequity in any country of their choosing. Have them report about statistics and share one primary source about how other countries face racial inequities and racial violence.
- Have the students prepare a debrief including a document that could be titled “An Inquiry into What Actually Occurred.”
- Some parents and communities might view this print as promoting violence because it depicts soldiers firing guns and dead people lying in the street.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- DocsTeach is associated with the National Archives, and this depiction has a grade band of 4-8 with a detailed way to approach the teaching of The Boston Massacre.
- The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History offers detailed lessons plans as less graphic alternatives in their depictions of the altercation between the two factions.
- Trial Transcripts of the subsequent trial involving John Adams.
- Newspaper account of the incident discussing police presence as a form of intimidation against citizens engaged in direct action.
- This source discusses Crispus Attucks, his death as a Black man during the massacre, and his death’s thematic importance in the fight for freedom.
- These resources provide lesson plans and suggestions for teaching the incident as well for educators.