Paul Revere is credited for the “Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in Kings Street in Boston” which was prepared a few weeks fate the Massacre took place in 1770. Historians consider this as a piece of the pre-revolutionary period despite the number of inaccuracies that are contained in the engraving. However, the piece of art was considered a propaganda tool to propel the attainment of independence from the British.
Although historical artifacts are given a certain level of trust and credibility, the engraving by Paul Revere has been noted to have many inaccuracies that may misguide an observer about the actual events of the massacre. The picture depicts seven soldiers and a captain, while the reality was that there were six soldiers of the British, “two captains, lieutenant, corporal and two private regulars”. The Grenadiers of the British also seem to be moving as if on a battlefield, while the scene of the massacre was chaotic, with crowds separating the British from the colonists. All in all, the engraving is confirmed not to have been Revere’s original work, but a plagiarized version of Henry Pelham’s work. He is the artist who had painted the original picture and lent it to Revere who added the poem and the names of the soldiers who had been slain at the bottom.
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Being a propaganda tool, the engraving was used to place the tragic massacre on a more elevated platform that would raise political concern and agitation among the colonists who viewed the British occupation of Boston as an unfavorable view. The British were imposing taxes on the colonists to cover the needs of the British such as their wars with the French and the Indians as well as the security they needed. The events leading to the massacre included the radicalization of the British government, the occupation of Boston in 1768 and the rising tensions and confrontations that resulted from this.
