Boston in Turmoil, 1768-1770 | The Shot Heard ’Round the World

Merchants, colonial assemblymen, and citizens in Boston were at odds with British officials in 1768, and even more so after the British sent soldiers to occupy the city. Customs officials that summer seized one of merchant John Hancock’s ships. In response to the outcry, the colony’s royal governor dissolved the Massachusetts assembly.

A Boston newspaper published “A Letter From Determinatus,” mostly written by Samuel Adams, protesting British actions. In October, British troops and ships were sent to Boston to occupy the city. In protest over the next several months, several colonies agreed to stop British imports. Merchants who imported goods were harassed by mobs. In one such incident in 1770, an 11-year-old Boston boy was killed by a customs officer. 

Students will articulate why some historians believe the American Revolution began with the British occupation of Boston.