MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
Language / Idioma
Choose your path

Reading tools & my notebook
My passport
Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

Event 23 of 100 · March 5, 1770

The Boston Massacre

Choose a PDF, read on screen, and try the word game.

← All 100 events

Teacher preview: this event includes loss, violence, discrimination, or a criminal case. Choose a suitable reading together. No reenactment of harm is needed.

Choose your PDF reading

Grade 2 PDF ↗Short sentences, pictures, and read-and-notice questions.Grade 4 PDF ↗More context, text evidence, and explanatory writing.Grade 8 PDF ↗Source analysis, perspective, and evidence-based comparisons.Words first PDF ↗Supported reading for multilingual learners and students who benefit from more spacing and oral rehearsal.

All four include an image, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a follow-up reading, and teacher guidance. These English PDFs have selectable text; use the reading below for adjustable text and listening tools.

Read on this page

A hand-colored 1770 print shows British soldiers in a row firing at Bostonians, with people falling in the foreground.
A hand-colored 1770 print shows British soldiers in a row firing at Bostonians, with people falling in the foreground.

Words to know

account
a description of what happened
evidence
information that helps support or question a claim
persuade
try to convince someone

British soldiers fired during a tense clash in Boston. Five people died, including Crispus Attucks. Pictures and stories spread. Different accounts did not describe every detail in the same way.

Talk about the reading

What happened? Point to a detail that supports your answer. What does the picture help you understand? What would you like to investigate next?

Follow-up: The Boston Tea Party

Protesters boarded ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. They opposed British tea policy and taxation. This was a protest, not a party with cups and cakes. Britain answered with restrictions.

How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.

Read the follow-up event →

Word match: use the reading

Select a word, then select its meaning. You can use a keyboard or tap. Read the word bank if you need a clue.

Choose a word to begin.

Check the evidence

Research source for this event ↗

Paul Revere Jr., after Henry Pelham. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Russell Sage, 1910. Public domain. Image source and rights ↗

Historical images, later portraits, reconstructions, and modern topic illustrations are identified in their captions. They are different kinds of evidence.

Try a source investigationVisit a Massachusetts place
Explore the six lessons →Image credits & sources →
Browse all collections