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Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Road to Revolution

The Boston Massacre, 1770, engraved by Paul Revere.
The Boston Massacre, 1770, engraved by Paul Revere. The original copperplate is on display at the Commonwealth Museum and Massachusetts Archives. (Commonwealth Museum)

Protests continued over Townsend duties on glass, lead, paper, and tea. In 1770 five protestors were shot by British soldiers in the Boston Massacre. Duties were then rescinded except for a levy on tea. After the Boston Tea Party, the Coercive Acts closed the port of Boston and suspended the colonial legislature.

The legislature reconvened as the Provincial Congress with John Hancock as President. The Congress established a Committee of Safety and called for towns to recruit “Minutemen”.