The Dispute that Led to the Boston Massacre

It Started with an Insult Over a Wigmaker's Bill

Oct 22, 2009

The shouts of a saucy apprentice got under the skin of a sentry, who gave the boy a whack. That triggered the town's fury and a snowball bombardment.

In Boston on the evening of March 5, 1770, British soldiers fired on American civilians on King Street (now State Street), killing five. The event became known as the Boston Massacre and served to harden American attitudes against British authority in America, leading six years later to the Declaration of Independence.

The evening was frosty, but pleasant. Icy cakes of snow about a foot deep covered King Street (now State Street), which extended from the Town House (now known as the Old State House) to Long Wharf, Boston's most important wharf. King Street, though a short street, was the town's main street.

Custom House on King Street

One of the most important buildings on King Street was the brick Custom House. On duty as sentry this night was Private Hugh White. His job was mainly to protect the building, a likely target of angry mobs. Bostonians were opposed to tax laws the British Parliament had imposed on the colonies. Through threats and violence, they had made miserable the lives of customs men charged with collecting taxes. British authorities had dispatched to Boston soldiers, such as Private White, to maintain order and ensure that customs people could work unmolested.

Bostonians Opposed the Presence of the Soldiers

So the customs work went on, but now the Bostonians resented the presence of the soldiers and harassed them. Several brawls had taken place in recent days between soldiers and civilians, mainly workers, and this night the mood in the town was highly charged with expectations of trouble. Clusters of civilians armed with chunks of wood roamed the streets.

However, neither the Custom House nor White appeared at the moment--about 7 p.m.-- to be in any immediate danger. King Street was nearly deserted.

Then Edward Garrick, a wigmaker's apprentice, entered the street at about the same time as John Goldfinch, a British officer. Garrick shouted, "There goes the fellow the fellow that won't pay my master for dressing his hair." Goldfinch did not even bother to stop. He had paid the bill. He had the receipt in his pocket.

Garrick left the street and returned a while later with a friend. Garrick, apparently bored and holding a grudge, mentioned to several passers-by that Goldfinch owed money.

Confrontation Between the Apprentice and the Private

White couldn't ignore the boy's remarks. Goldfinch was a gentleman, White shouted. Whatever he owed, he would pay.

Now White left his post and approached Garrick. "Let me see your face," said White.

Before Garrick could react, White swing his musket, hitting it against the side of Garrick's head. Garrick wailed and insults flew, attracting people nearby. Soon a cluster of eight or nine people, including several other apprentice boys, surrounded the crying Garrick.

Now, the sound of a church bell from somewhere in town could be heard. Such a sound at such a time always meant fire. So, people soon began coming out into the streets looking for the fire. Some made their way to King Street, a central gathering place in town. There was no fire and no one then or now has determined who ordered the bell rung or why. Soon more bells were ringing.

Meanwhile, White had his hands full with angry boys daring the "Damned rascally scoundrel lobster son of a bitch" to fight. The crowd on King Street grew to about 50 as White retreated, positioning himself on the Custom House steps for elevation, his back to the building. He also loaded his weapon.

The insults and taunts continued, and now icy snowballs started to fly. White attached his bayonet. "Damn them," White told a man. "If they molest me I will fire."

At least one civilian tried to calm the crowd. But the confrontation continued and so did the icy bombardment. White pounded on the Custom House door. People lived in part of the building and presumably could have let him in. But there was no response.

The taunting continued and the crowd had grown to from 300 to 400 by 8 p.m. White shouted "Turn Out, Main Guard!" He was calling for rescuers from the military headquarters, just up the street and within sight. How would the soldiers at the headquarters respond? They tried to extract White from his dilemma, and the result was a bloody disaster.

Ferling, John. A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic. New York, Oxford University Press, 2003.

The copyright of the article The Dispute that Led to the Boston Massacre in Colonial America is owned by Brian Deming. Permission to republish The Dispute that Led to the Boston Massacre in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.