The Boston Massacre: Classroom Resources

On March 5, 1770, a small group of colonists retaliated against British troops that were stationed within the city of Boston. The troops opened fire, shooting at the small crowd, killing four people. The events of that day have long been disputed by both sides. The Americans claimed that they were throwing snowballs, while the British claimed they were throwing rocks. The massacre deepened colonial resentment of the British presence, and is one of the eventual causes of the revolution.


Here are some links to assist in research of the Boston Massacre:

• The Boston Massacre at ushistory.org: A nice page that includes a primary source and explanations of the event in kid friendly terms. 
• The Boston Massacre at kidspast.com: Get used to seeing a lot of this site. It has short, simple explanations of pretty much any event in American history, from pre-columbian times to now.
• The Boston Massacre entry at encyclopedia.kids.net: A short description of the event.
• Picture Gallery of The Boston Massacre: A gallery of depictions of the event, at bostonmassacre.net.
• The Boston Massacre Files: This is presented by The Bostonian Society, the main site (bostonhistory.org) I use for teaching about this event. This game puts the player in the role of a forensics investigator, and is engaging. Students will enjoy playing this game.

Teacher Resources:

• The Boston Massacre in Documents: This pdf file is from bostonhistory.org (The Bostonian Society), and includes a good list of vocabulary, a printable timeline, and some good ideas for classroom activities.
• The Boston Massacre in Images: This pdf file is also from bostonhistory.org, and is similar to the one listed before. However, this one is focused on images of the massacre, and is very high quality. I will be using this lesson in class.
• The Legacy of John Adams, The Boston Massacre: This pdf file is something I use in class. It's very simple and to the point. It presents students with a one page reading about the massacre and John Adams role in the aftermath, then a t-chart that compares the massacre to modern riots. This is provided by the New York New Publishers Association.

Video Clips:

The first video clip is from the America: The Story of Us series. It is a very high quality explanation of the massacre with a reenactment. 

This next video is only one minute long, and shows the actual location of the massacre as seen today. Many students want to know this, I think it gives them a connection to their lives today.