The city of Boston was very unstable throughout the 1760s. This instability quickly turned to violence in the early part of the 1770s. Tension had already erupted at the beginning of the year with several clashes between the English and the colonists. However, in early March tensions erupted into bloodshed, resulting in what we now know as the Boston Massacre. The occurrence of these events is a fact, however, their interpretations have changed over time. The accounts are colored by events that occurred in the time period in which they were written and by the prejudices and opinions of the author. However, we can use these imperfections as a way to keep track of what is happening in America and the state of politics. In a piece dated 1823 (John Prentiss, History of the United States of America) it is understood as if the author was blaming the citizens for provoking the British soldiers into a position that forced them to shoot. Considering the current year, there were many citizens who still felt loyalty to Great Britain and were annoyed by their neighbors. This was considered acceptable behavior since the Americans needed the support of the British to enforce the Monroe Doctrine. Britain had the weapons and naval power while America did not. Advancing further in history, the accounts of 1855 (AB Berard, School History of the United States) and 1856 (Harper's School History, Narrative of the General Course of History) also offer different depictions of the same events despite their close proximity. The 1855 account gives a different interpretation of how the event aroused enthusiasm and goes on to say that it was a “negro who stirred up the disturbance.” The reference to "nigger" was...middle of the paper...the events of the Boston Massacre were better characterized as marketing than actual events in their piece A History of the United States. It was the dawn of the Internet and one of the best times for the use of public relations in American politics. This article appears to be influenced by the use of the media to form opinions, whether they are accurate or not. As mentioned above, the interpretation of an event changes over time as the state of the country changes. While this can cause problems in researching events and trying to learn the facts, you can develop a better understanding of the emotions that people of that time period were experiencing. In order for the desired outcome of all research to be accurate, an equal balance between national stability and proximity to the event being researched are the ideal factors to take into account when choosing research material.