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CHAPTER XV.

Justice of the American Cause. -- Loyalty and Moderation of the Colonists. --
The Issue forced upon them. -- Remonstrances against the Presence of
Troops in Boston. -- Indications of an approaching Collision between them
and the Citizens. -- The Soldiers impatient for Blood. -- Affrays at the
Ropewalks. -- The Soldiers are beaten and seek for Vengeance. -- Blood-
shed preconcerted among them. -- Scenes on the Evening of the 5th of
March. -- Brutality of the Troops. -- Gathering of the People. -- The "Red
Cloak and White Wig." -- The Massacre in King Street.

WHOEVER will reflect upon the series of events occurring
between the winter of 1768 and the spring of 1770 will find
a loyal and sensitive people, proud of their British birth and
freedom, and ever ready to support and defend their sover-
eign, wrought to indignation by a system of the grossest in-
justice and infringements on their chartered rights. Smart-
ing under injurious misrepresentations made by the instru-
ments of their oppression, they had seen their dutiful peti-
tions spurned by those whose pride it should have been to
protect them; and when a persistence in the acts of tyranny
and the insulting conduct of the crown officers had led to a
series of peaceful measures for redress, -- measures which the
Attorney and Solicitor General of England, after the severest
scrutiny, had pronounced to be legal and containing no overt
act of treason, -- they had been accused of sedition; and an
infamous act of Henry the Eighth was dug up from the ob-
livion of the past, to transport them to England to be tried
for their lives, away from their friends and witnesses. A
succession of fatal stabs had been dealt to the most precious
privilege of British subjects. The great principle of the ille-
gality of taxation without representation -- the most estima-
ble of all the British rights guaranteed by Magna Charta
-- had been struck down; and to crown all, an armed force,

-305-

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Publication Information: Book Title: The Life and Public Services of Samuel Adams: Being a Narrative of His Acts and Opinions, and of His Agency in Producing and Forwarding the American Revolution. Volume: 1. Contributors: William V. Wells - author. Publisher: Little, Brown. Place of Publication: Boston. Publication Year: 1888. Page Number: 305.
    
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