Statement

Today, our Nation remembers the 256th anniversary of the Boston Massacre—a seminal chapter in the American story that lit the fuse for what would become the greatest crusade for liberty, self-government, and freedom in the history of the world.

In the aftermath of the Seven Years’ War, the British government imposed a series of unjust and excessive taxes on the American Colonies, promoting outrage from Colonists who felt betrayed, ignored, and voiceless. As protests against British tyranny grew, the Crown grew more repressive. Tensions reached a boiling point on the night of March 5, 1770, when a scuffle between Redcoats and Colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, turned violent. British soldiers unleashed a barrage of gunfire into a crowd of unarmed colonial civilians—killing or fatally wounding five and injuring six more.

In the two and a half centuries since—and in the 250 years since our Nation’s founding—the sacrifices of the patriots slain during the Boston Massacre have remained etched upon the heart of our Nation. Their deaths ultimately became the catalyst for our righteous struggle for independence, sparking the Revolutionary War just 5 years later. Countless Americans have carried forth their heroic legacy of courage and sacrifice in the generations since. From the fields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy, millions of brave souls have paid the ultimate price to defend our freedoms and secure a brighter and more glorious American future.

Today, we pay tribute to the first martyrs of American independence. We honor every hero who has shed their blood for our homeland and for the cause of liberty. Above all, we renew our resolve to defend—with their same courage and conviction—the ideals for which those patriots laid down their lives.