The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines massacre as “the act or instance of killing a number of usually defenseless or unresisting human beings resistance under circumstances of atrocity or cruelty” or “a cruel or wanton murder” (mw.com) Essentially a massacre results in the death of many people or death by cruel means The Boston Massacre occurred on March 5, 1770 in Boston,. in Massachusetts, and involved American colonists and British troops. The colonists, shocked by the recent laws enacted by the British, taunted a smaller group of British soldiers by throwing snowballs at them (Boston Massacre Historical Society). unarmed, leaving five people dead and six wounded (Phelan, 131 Although the event in Boston on March 5, 1770, in which blood was shed, was called the Boston Massacre, the actions that took place that day did not constitute a massacre). massacre. Since only five people were killed and six injured and there was no evidence of cruelty, the name Boston Massacre was probably a propaganda ploy by Samuel Adams to mobilize colonists against the English instead of an actual massacre. After the end of the French and Indian War, England had a huge debt and little revenue, so Parliament passed laws that taxed American colonists to help pay for the British army and navy that helped protect the colonies. Parliament passed a series of laws, including the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act, that taxed goods purchased by colonists. Colonial merchants, who did not believe they should be taxed without representation in Parliament, signed non-importation agreements promising not to purchase or import British goods. There was a lot of violence committed against customs officials who were enforcing... middle of paper... day, not wanton intentional killings. Using the term massacre to describe what happened to the colonists was a successful propaganda ploy by Samuel Adams to rally the colonists against the English, resulting in American independence. Works Cited Boston Massacre Historical Society. Boston Massacre Historical Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 2008. Web. November 12, 2009. Lukes, Bonnie L. The Boston Massacre. California: Lucent Books, 1998. Print."Massacre." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2009. Merriam-Webster Online. November 18, 2009. Phelan, Mary Kay. The story of the Boston Massacre. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1976. Print.Smith, Robert. The infamous Boston Massacre. United States: Crowell-Collier Press, 1969. Print.Zobel, Hiller B. The Boston Massacre. New York: Norton and Company, 1970. Print.