Episode 228: Eric Hinderaker, The Boston Massacre

by Emily SneffMarch 5, 2019

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On the evening of March 5, 1770, a crowd gathered in Boston’s King Street and confronted a sentry and his fellow soldiers in front of the custom house. The confrontation led the soldiers to fire their muskets into the crowd, five civilians died.

What happened on the night of March 5, 1770 that led the crowd to gather and the soldiers to discharge their weapons?

Eric Hinderaker, a distinguished professor of history at the University of Utah and the author of Boston’s Massacre, assists our quest to discover more about the Boston Massacre.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Eric Hinderaker, a distinguished professor of History at the University of Utah and the author of Boston’s Massacre, leads our investigation of the Boston Massacre.

During our conversation, Eric reveals what the Boston Massacre was, when it took place, and what we know about its participants; Colonial and imperial reactions to the Massacre; And, the ways both Bostonians and British officials used the Massacre to further their causes.

What You’ll Discover

Overview of the Boston Massacre
Participants in the Boston Massacre
How many times the soldiers discharged their weapons
Problems with eyewitness testimony
Bostonians’ reactions to the shootings on King Street
Why Boston sent a pamphlet relating the shootings on King Street to London
British response to the shooting in King Street
Boston by 1770
Political structure of Boston
Boston’s reputation as a “mob” or “riot” town
The arrival of British soldiers in Boston
Boston under military occupation
What having soldiers garrisoned in Boston meant for the town and its people
The soldiers’ training
Town, colonial, and imperial officials’ response to the shootings on King Street
The soldiers’ trials
John Adams’ work as a defense attorney for the soldiers
Bostonians’ reaction to the outcome of the soldiers’ trial
Bostonians’ use of the Boston Massacre in the years following the event
Long-term legacy of the Boston Massacre

Links to People, Places, and Publications

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