The Boston Massacre was an event that took place in Boston before the Revolutionary War. This was a significant event for the people of Boston and Massachusetts in helping to ignite the American Revolution. When you visit with your rental car Boston, you can find the sites of the Boston Massacre on the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston.

Where you can visit

The exact location of the Boston Massacre is at the intersection of Devonshire and State Streets in downtown Boston. When you are here with your car rental Boston, stop in front of the Old State House. Outside, you will find a circle of cobblestones that commemorates the massacre. There is also a memorial located in Boston Commons.

Leading to the Massacre

When you are here with your Boston car rental, you may learn that this was an incident in 1770 where five civilians were killed by British troops. The aftermath of the incident helped to spark rebellion in some of the British American colonies that led to the American Revolutionary War. Tension in Boston had been building since October 1768 when British troops came to Boston to keep order after heavy taxes were levied in the colonies with the Townshend Acts. The troops were seen as oppressors and brawls became common. When additional soldiers arrived from Halifax and Ireland, they could not secure lodging, so they set up tents on the common. The British general in charge asked that the troops be put up in area homes, but this was no something the citizens of the city wanted. The soldiers were seen as being surly, brutal, and greedy; and people did not want them in their homes.

The Massacre

By 1770, you may learn when you are here with your Boston rental car, Boston was an occupied town. There were four regiments of British regulars, about 1 soldier for every resident of the city. The residents felt they were not treated properly. The massacre started when a young barber’s apprentice shouted an insult at a solider on sentry duty in front of the Customs House, which was a symbol of Royal Authority. The soldier hit the apprentice with the butt of his rifle, and the apprentice returned to the Sentry with a large, unruly group of people. Tensions continued to build until there were 400 men in the street, who began throwing snow and ice at the soldiers, and dared the soldiers to fire on the crowd. The soldiers fired on the crowd, killing three men and mortally wounding two others. Six others were wounded, but survived.

The aftermath

The soldiers were arrested and indicted for murder. Five soldiers were acquitted and two were found guilty of manslaughter and released after being branded on the hand. There was a lot of evidence at the trail that showed the troops did not fire at the crowd until they were attacked. The British also withdrew their troops from Boston after the Massacre. This event served as anti-British propaganda for radicals throughout North America and heightened American fears of standing armies.

Exploring other historical sites

When you are here with your Boston car rental, you can check out many of the other sites as you walk along the Freedom Trail. This includes some of the most important landmarks in historical Boston. This is an indoor/outdoor museum with 16 official sites that you can visit. Some of the sites here include the Boston Common, The State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Benjamin Franklin Statue, Old Corner Book Store, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution.

-When you are here with your Boston car rental, you will find the site of the Boston Massacre is a place of great historical significance in the city.