On the Guilt or Innocence of Captain Thomas Preston Concerning the Boston Massacre After years of political tension in colonial Boston, the Boston Massacre was a result of boiling tempers and social unrest. The riot-like atmosphere of the scene adds to this idea. Surrounded by angry townspeople, the soldiers acted out of panic and stress as the colonists would have done if the roles were reversed. On the guilt or innocence of Captain Thomas Preston, …showed first 75 words of 685 total…

…showed last 75 words of 685 total…part in the shooting that followed. Captain Thomas Preston was not guilty of murder, and justice was served in the handing down of a not guilty verdict. The inconsistencies of eyewitness accounts, the mentality of the soldiers, and the actions of the crowd all had a hand in the tragedy which unfolded in Boston that night. An element of reasonable doubt was introduced to the jury by Adams in pointing out all of these things.