5. Document Project 5: The Boston Massacre

Quiz for Document 5.9 John Adams, Defense of the British Soldiers at Trial, October 1770

Choose the best answer to each question.

1. What was the key legal defense John Adams presented on behalf of the British soldiers accused of murder after the Boston Massacre?

Habeas corpus

Self defense

Trial by jury

Free speech

2. What made the trial of the British soldiers particularly difficult for John Adams in its historical context?

Boston was infamous for poor legal defense and unfair trails.

Adams was not an experienced lawyer and did not understand the system.

The winter of 1770 was one of the coldest on record, so the courtroom was freezing.

Recent tensions had made Boston a rebellious city with anti-British sentiment.

3. What charge is John Adams willing to concede if the jury cannot agree that the lives of the British were threatened by the crowd of Bostonians?

Manslaughter

Assault

Lynching

Capital murder

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