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Primary sourcePainting1770

The Bloody Massacre (Boston Massacre Engraving)

Paul Revere Jr. · 1770

Paul Revere's 1770 engraving of the Boston Massacre, an event Samuel Adams used to rally public anger against British rule.

Depicts the event Adams publicized to turn colonial opinion against British rule, fueling his agitation for independence.

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Hand-colored engraving titled The Bloody Massacre, showing British soldiers in red coats firing volleys at a crowd before a brick State House with a clock tower; smoke fills the street and victims lie on the ground. Verse text appears below.
Paul Revere Jr., The Boston Massacre (The Bloody Massacre), 1770. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This hand-colored engraving by Paul Revere Jr., made in 1770, depicts British soldiers firing on a crowd of colonists in King Street, Boston. It is held today at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Why it matters

The image shows British soldiers of the 29th Regiment firing on civilians, with victims falling in the street, outside the State House. Samuel Adams used the outrage from this event to turn public opinion against British authority, making prints like this powerful tools of political persuasion. The engraving is one of the most famous pieces of political propaganda from the pre-Revolutionary period.

Look closer

  • Why might Paul Revere have chosen to show the soldiers firing in an organized volley rather than a chaotic scrum?
  • How does the verse text below the image try to shape the viewer's feelings about the event?
  • What does this image leave out that an eyewitness account might include?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel Adams and Thomas Hutchinson on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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