Jenny has masters' degrees in public health and public administration.
Have you ever had to answer a question, but telling the truth was not easy? What did you do?
Patrick Carr, who lived in Boston in 1770, found himself in this position. He was born in Ireland and worked as a craftsman making goods out of leather. On March 5, 1770, Carr ended up in the middle of an event that would become an important part of American history - the Boston Massacre.
Carr was hurt in the Boston Massacre and died several days later. Before he died, he told what he thought was the truth, which was not necessarily what everyone wanted to hear.
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Back then, Boston was part of a colony, under the control of Britain. Since 1768, the city was full of British troops, but many colonists, led by Samuel Adams, did not like having them there. The troops had been sent when some colonists stopped paying a tax that the British government charged on certain things (like paper) coming from other parts of the world. The colonists and British soldiers did not always get along, and in early 1770 there was talk of trouble.
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On March 5, 1770, an angry group of about 50 to 60 colonists made their way to the Customs House on King Street, where a British soldier was standing guard by himself. Captain Thomas Preston led a small group of soldiers with guns out to help. The crowd yelled and threw things at the soldiers. Someone rang a bell, and more people started coming out to see what was happening.
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The colonist Patrick Carr was one of the people who joined the crowd when the bell rang. He wanted to bring a sword with him, but someone convinced him to leave it at home.
In all the commotion, the soldiers, who may have been frightened, began firing their guns. Four colonists died right away or very soon after. Carr was shot in the stomach while crossing the street. Carr was treated by a Dr. Jeffries, but he died several days later. Patrick Carr is buried near the others killed in the Boston Massacre.
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During that time, Carr talked to the doctor about what happened. Carr thought the soldiers fired in self-defense because they thought they would be hurt by the crowd. He said the soldiers were being abused and people were threatening to kill them. Carr forgave them and thought he made a bad choice to go outside and join the crowd. Samuel Adams was angry at Carr for telling this side of the story, since he wanted to use the Boston Massacre to get more people to join the movement against the British troops.
After Carr died, there were two trials in court to decide whether the soldiers broke the law. The doctor told the court what Carr said. Carr had seen other riots with soldiers, but the doctor said he ''never saw any bear half so much before'' as these soldiers did. Two of the soldiers were found guilty, but the others were not.
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Patrick Carr was shot during the Boston Massacre in 1770, when British troops fired at a crowd of colonists. He died soon after, but told his doctor that he believed the soldiers were acting out of self-defense. These words became part of the trial of the soldiers, and most were found not guilty.
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