250 years ago on Tuesday, March 5, 1774, John Hancock delivered the Boston Massacre Speech to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the killing of civilian settlers by British troops, commemorating his achievements as a leader of colonial resistance to British rule. was firmly established.

This tragic event became a test of resistance to the royal conquest of the American colonies. It was one thing for British troops to protect the colonial population and fend off the territorial ambitions of French troops, but British troops entered the city for the express purpose of enforcing an Act of Parliament against unwilling colonial acquiescence. Stationing troops was another thing entirely.If there were ever an attractive nuisance, Red Coat Soldiers would definitely qualify.

Once the French threat was removed, relations between Britain and the American colonies began to go down the proverbial slippery slope. Congress took action, and reactions followed, particularly in Boston and throughout Massachusetts. At first, this exchange was merely rhetorical, but the conflict intensified with each countermeasure to a parliamentary law designed to extract revenue. The Boston Massacre, in which black and white settlers were killed, drastically changed the rules of combat.

To ensure that this event is never forgotten, the patriots of Boston, in their annual address to reflect on the massacre, ensure that the sacrifice of human life is not in vain and British wrongdoing is remembered defiantly. I decided to commemorate the anniversary.

Hancock was a natural leader and had the rightful qualifications to take a stand against British rule. His conflicts with British authorities were well known, but it took him a while to move from attempting to negotiate with royal administrators to leading attacks against the British occupation. Threats from colonial militia led Hancock to persuade the British to resign and vacate part of Boston. This gave Hancock a prominent position, propelling him to a leadership position in Parliament, and also making him the moderator of a debate on options against the Royal Tea Tax.

Although he did not directly participate in the first Boston Tea Party, his leadership in organizing resistance to the tea tax was a galvanizing force. Hancock initially attempted to protest the tax indirectly, either by forcing the tax collector to resign or by protesting his role as publican against the unpopular levy. When that failed, Hancock took further steps to prevent the longshoremen from unloading the cargo, but that effort appeared to fail as well, so Hancock encouraged other alternatives without providing details. did. The end result would be the dumping of tea into the harbor by revolutionaries dressed as Mohawk Indians.

As the destruction of tea energized Congress, Boston became a hotbed of revolutionary activity, and given Hancock's indirect leadership role, it was natural that he would be chosen to give the speech on the day of the massacre. It seemed like.

Hancock's speech is truly a masterpiece of colonial revolutionary rhetoric. With all humility that he was asked to speak when he was more qualified than others, he recounted how British troops came to be in Boston in the first place. His speech then progressed in earnest, invoking the king's improper powers, detailing Parliament's misconduct, recalling murdered colonists, and naming the British soldiers responsible. He appealed to his listeners to remember their sacrifices and to do the same in the cause of liberty and freedom.

Hancock's speech was notable for its reference to “America,” but in retrospect it appears to be an acknowledgment of an independent nation. Although he stopped short of calling for specific action, his words were enough to stir up the crowd. To find an outlet for their heightened emotions, some in the crowd recalled that barrels of tea that had not been dumped in Boston Harbor were stored in a warehouse.

Therefore, during the final stages of the Boston Tea Party, settlers once again disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and began direct action. Just like a few months ago, they opened the container of tea and casually dumped it into the port. Their act of destruction, which the British undoubtedly considered terrorism, was carried out with full knowledge of the consequences.

Even if the speech was not the direct cause, it certainly contributed to the final conclusion of the tea party. Hancock's fame grew among the colonists as his speech became widely known, and from that point on he would become a leader at various stages of the country's progress toward independence from Britain.

In America, the Bostonians' direct action was praised throughout the colonies, and their acts of defiance were seen as an outlet for pent-up frustration with British heavy-handed tactics. However, not all Americans agreed, as some politicians, such as Benjamin Franklin, recognized that legal and diplomatic means were the better way. Dumping tea was the destruction of private property, and under colonial law there were no self-help rules.

Unfortunately, in the fog of this mayhem, both sides overreacted, putting both the colonists and the King on a collision course. Congress further increased sanctions, but this only served to unite the colonists.

Hancock's speech never advocated force, instead setting the stage for passive resistance in the form of boycotts of British goods, but as both sides became rebellious war became inevitable. A famous patriot whose signature would one day grace the Declaration of Independence, little did he know that a little more than a year later, troops would be sent to arrest him, resulting in the first military casualties at Lexington and Concord. There wasn't. In many ways, it can be argued that the war started because of him.

Hancock's words from two and a half centuries ago still ring true. “I have the most lively confidence that the present noble struggle for freedom will come to a glorious conclusion for America.” He was right, but Hancock was the lead player and important contributor. There was a difficult road ahead of the victory.

His genocidal speech made him famous and ultimately propelled him to a leadership position in founding an independent America.

Will Sellers is a graduate of Hillsdale College and an associate justice on the Alabama Supreme Court. The best place to contact him is [email protected]