The Boston Massacre Trial

Hello everybody.  If you are reading this it is because you were chosen by your class to have a specific role in our recreation of the trial for the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre.  Did I mention it will be broadcast live through Periscope?  Well it is!  Below is some stuff to help you get prepared for our reenactment.  This is the first year I have done this, but I'm confident that it will be awesome.

Roles:

Judge-Your job will be to keep both sides from getting out of control.  You act like a referee while the trial is going on.  Your word is law.  If you tell someone to silence themselves, it must happen.  If you order someone to come forth and testify, that too must happen.  For more help, click HERE.

Prosecutor- You will be playing two people warped into one.  Both Robert Treat Paine and Samuel Quincy.  Your job is to convince the jury that the soldiers are guilty of murdering 5 Boston colonists.  Read up on the trial and events to come up with questions for your witnesses.  Also, prepare a very short speech that you will give at the end of the trial to try one last time to convince the jury that the soldiers are guilty.

Defense (John Adams)- You will be playing the role of John Adams, the main defense attorney for Captain Preston and the other soldiers.  How are these men NOT guilty?  Could some of the witnesses be lying about what they saw?  Make the jury doubt the witnesses that go against you.  Make sure you are putting all the pieces of the puzzle together!

From oldbailey.org: 

"The biggest influence exercised by defence lawyers on trials was through the cross-examination of prosecution witnesses. Defence counsel was often able to question the motives of the prosecutor in bringing the case, and of witnesses for testifying for the prosecutor. When the principals were eligible to receive a reward for a successful conviction, as was the case with thief-takers, or, could earn immunity from prosecution for testifying against accomplices, their word in court was open to doubt. This led to the expectation that evidence from accomplices should be corroborated by another witness. Defence lawyers also contributed to increased scepticism about hearsay evidence and pre-trial confessions, and their participation meant that in some cases defendants no longer needed to speak at all. This eventually led to defendants acquiring the privilege of remaining silent; and in the process contributed to shifting the burden of proof onto the prosecutor."

Captain Thomas Preston- You are the captain that was in charge of the group of soldiers involved.  The main question will be, "Did you give the order to fire?"  Read Captain Preston's account HERE.

Soldiers: You were involved in the shooting deaths of 5 Boston colonists.  Be prepared to give your account of what happened.  For a list of soldiers, click HERE for their bios and accounts of what happened.

Accounts from other witnesses: Click HERE to see what other witnesses had to say.  You will notice that they are all very different.  

***If you have any questions, please contact me!!!