PATH I: Investigating the Boston Massacre

Boston Massacre > Massachusetts Historical Society > Gutman Library > Mass. State Archives > Judge Hiller Zobel

The PATH program visited a number of greater Boston's finest historical institutions in our attempt to understand the Boston Massacre. We chose the topic partly because of its proximity, and partly because of its ambiguity. Who really was Crispus Attucks? Was he in fact a hero of the Revolution, or, as some say, a thug responsible for inciting a brawl? At the time of our inquiry, a debate was surrounding the suggestion that a bridge in Framingham be named after Crispus Attucks. If so little was known about Crispus Attucks, where did the story come from that we read as children in our history textbooks? Would it be possible to understand more about the Boston Massacre by going to source documents such as the engraving Paul Revere made after witnessing the event? How reliable are the depositions and arguments made in the ensuing court case by our nation's fathers?

What would Hiller Zobel, the leading authority on the Boston Massacre, tell us?

Our journey began at the Massachusetts Historical Society >