In this highly sensational depiction by Paul Revere (1735–1818), a leading member of the Sons of Liberty, British troops acting under the orders of a British officer fire on unarmed citizens and sailors who were taunting them in Boston on March 5, 1770. 

The five Americans, including Crispus Attucks—a runaway African-American slave turned sailor—died. The Boston Massacre became a symbol of British tyranny and an important stepping stone on the road to rebellion.