Life expectancy

The perspective on life is always different from everyone. The perspective of two people are shared on the Boston massacre written by Thomas Preston and Deacon John Tudor. By the beginning of 1770 Tudor explains “there were four thousand British soldiers in Boston, a seaport with only 15,000 inhabitants. On the evening of March 5, crowds of day laborers, apprentices, and merchant sailors began to pelt British soldiers with snowballs and rocks. A shot rang out, and then several soldiers fired their weapons; when it was over, five civilians lay dead or dying, including Crispus Attucks, a mulatto merchant sailor. A firsthand account of the Boston massacre”. While Preston says “on Monday Evening the 5th current, a few Minutes after 9 O'Clock a most horrid murder was committed in King Street before the Customhouse by 8 or 9 Soldiers under the Command of Captain Preston draw from the Main Guard on the South side of the Townhouse. March 5th This unhappy affair began by Some Boys & young fellows throwing SnowBalls at the sentry placed at the Customhouse Door. On which 8 or 9 Soldiers Came to his assistance. Soon after a Number of people collected, when the Capt commanded the Soldiers to fire, which they did and 3 Men were Killed on the Spot & several Mortally Wounded. The Capt soon drew off his Soldiers up to the Main Guard, or the Consequences might have been terrible”.

According to Thomas Preston on Monday night about 8 o'clock two soldiers were attacked and beat. But the party of the townspeople in order to carry matters to the utmost length, broke into two meeting houses and rang the alarm bells, which I supposed was for fire as usual, but was soon undeceived. About 9 some of the guard came to and informed me the town inhabitants were assembling to attack the troops, and that the bells were ringing as the signal for that purpose and not for fire, and the beacon intended to be fired to bring in the distant people of the country. This, as I was captain of the day, the repairs were immediately ordered to the main guard. In my way there I saw the people in great commotion, and heard them use the most cruel and horrid threats against the troops

Later that year, a trial took place as John Adams defended the soldiers in a belief that the men had a right to effective legal counsel. Convinced that America should not lose the moral advantage of showing that the soldiers could receive a fair trial, Adams also wanted to remind Bostonians of the "Dangers...which must arise from intemperate heats and irregular commotions." Adams obtained deathbed testimony from one of the five men who had been mortally wounded by the British soldiers, who swore that the crowd, not the troops, were to blame for the massacre. As a result of this testimony, all but two of the soldiers were acquitted and the worst punishment any of the soldiers received was a branding on the thumb.

In conclusion, on Monday march 5th a massacre took place based on the miscommunication from the captain and the soldiers which resulted in the killing of three men and others badly injured. For instance, after things calmed down the captain demanded why the soldiers fired without orders, they replied they heard fire and that it came from him. Returning to the barracks, Preston heard about the process from the council then he went to the sheriff and surrendered himself. In the end it didn’t matter if Preston gave the order because there were a few soldiers who said they heard him, so for that Presgton was on trial for his life on October 24th 1770 which lasted for five days. Every decision we make both knowingly or unknowingly always has repercussions.