John Adams and the Boston Massacre

Before the American Revolutionary War began in earnest, tensions were already getting out of control.

British Colonial soldiers were posted on every corner in Boston. The year was 1770, six years before the start of the war.

On March 6, 1770, colonists began pelting soldiers with ice, oyster shells, and glass. The situation soon got out of control, and five colonists ended up being shot. Nine British soldiers, including Captain Thomas Preston, faced murder charges.

At the time, there could not have been a task less popular in the colony than defending these soldiers. As a result, no one would volunteer to represent them. The Judge finally asked John Adams, a 34-year-old attorney with a wife and expecting a child, who would, of course, later become the 2nd US President, to defend the soldiers. He said yes.

Adams achieved an acquittal of 7 out of 9 of the soldiers, including the Captain. The other two were convicted of manslaughter only.

The trepidation Adams must have felt is surreal. Colonialist groups of the time likely thought about killing Adams. It wasn’t the last time in his life John Adams would face down such threats. Six years later, in New York, he, John Jay, and Ben Franklin met with members of the British Army who demanded a surrender. If unsuccessful, Adams and his compatriots would be hanged, doubtless. Thankfully, these and other Founding Fathers did not give in to the British brutality and intimidation.

It’s helpful to reflect on what Adams meant to our country and to our legal system. And when facing a tough, unpopular case, an attorney in the US system should feel comfort that he or she walks in the footsteps of John Adams.