Boston Massacre vs. Kent State Shootings
It is often said to remember important mistakes, crimes, declines, anything negative so that, "History does not repeat itself." Some of the notable mistakes include strategic errors in wars; such as the French, in World War I, stacking the Maginot Line while the Germans marched around it, and in World War II doing the exact same thing. Other mistakes include incidents on domestic soil in which protests turn violent such as the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Kent State Shootings in 1970. Other than each happening on Mondays and occurring almost two hundred years apart, the two draw deeper comparisons to one another which caused widespread protest leaving marks in American history. Upon reviewing these two cases it triggers the question, did history repeat itself? There is a similarity between the events building up to these two tragic incidents. A series of government actions brought up large crowds of hostile crowds which resulted in the bringing in of government officials to contain the situation causing a tense relationship among the two groups which was eventually snapped as lives were taken. The Boston Massacre was started by a series of events that included citizens of the colonies tangling up with British soldiers leading up to the March 5th event with soldiers trying to maintain order against the angry, violent protesters. While it is still controversial as to which party is to take the blame for this incident, the violent but non-fatal crowd or the threatened soldiers. Either way, there is no question this event had a major impact on the new nation and as John Adams put it:
On that night the formation of American Independence was laid Not the battle of Lexington or Bunker Hill, not the surrender of Burgoyne or Cornwallis were more important events in American history than the battle of King street on the 5th of March, 1770. (1)
A few acts by the British government would eventually ignite hostilities between the colonists and British soldiers.
On that night the formation of American Independence was laid Not the battle of Lexington or Bunker Hill, not the surrender of Burgoyne or Cornwallis were more important events in American history than the battle of King street on the 5th of March, 1770. (1)
A few acts by the British government would eventually ignite hostilities between the colonists and British soldiers.