A New History of the Boston Massacre

FAIN: FB-58271-15

Serena Ruth Zabin
Carleton College (Northfield, MN 55057-4001)

This proposal seeks funding to complete a book entitled Occupying Boston: An Intimate History of the Boston Massacre, that uncovers the extensive personal interactions between troops (with their families) and townspeople of both sexes and the close, if fraught, relationships that developed between them. When soldiers shot townsmen in March of 1770, what became known as the Boston Massacre was only one of many small incidents that arose between neighbors who knew each other all too well. The spin Revere and his allies put on the Boston Massacre, rather than the shooting itself, gave the incident its iconic place in the road to the American Revolution. Occupying Boston demonstrates that the immediate result of the shooting was not to solidify political differences so much as it was to hasten the breakdowns of the social world that locals and regiments had created. Only after the final regiment left Boston in 1772 did those who remained begin to draw the line between patriot and loyalist.

Media Coverage

Winner of the 2020 Journal of the American Revolution Book-of-the-Year Award (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Editors
Publication: Journal of the American Revolution
Date: 1/29/2021
Abstract: "The Journal of the American Revolution is pleased to announce The Boston Massacre: A Family History by Serena Zabin (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) as winner of the 2020 Journal of the American Revolution Book-of-the-Year Award."
URL: https://allthingsliberty.com/2021/01/the-2020-jar-book-of-the-year/

Serena Zabin's webpage (Media Coverage)
Author(s): Serena Zabin
Publication: http://serenazabin.com/book/
Date: 2/18/2020
Abstract: For the book: "Historian Serena Zabin weaves colorful stories from original sources, following British troops as they make their way from Ireland to Boston in 1768 to subdue the increasingly rebellious colonists. And she reveals a forgotten world hidden in plain sight: the many regimental wives and children who accompanied these armies. We see these families jostling with Bostonians for living space, finding common cause in the search for a lost child, trading barbs and and sharing baptisms – becoming, in other words, neighbors. When soldiers shot unarmed citizens in the street, it was these intensely human, now broken bonds that fueled what quickly became a bitterly fought American Revolution."
URL: serenazabin.com

Associated Products

The Boston Massacre: A Family History (Book)
Title: The Boston Massacre: A Family History
Author: Serena Zabin
Abstract: The story of the Boston Massacre--when on a late winter evening in 1770, British soldiers shot five local men to death--is familiar to generations. But the history of the event has always obscured a fascinating truth: the Massacre arose from conflicts that were as personal as they were political. Historian Serena Zabin weaves colorful stories from original sources, following British troops as they are dispatched from Ireland to Boston in 1768 to subdue the increasingly rebellious colonists. She reveals a forgotten world hidden in plain sight: the many regimental wives and children who accompanied the troops. We see these families jostling with Bostonians for living space, finding common cause in the search for a lost child, trading barbs, and and sharing baptisms--becoming, in other words, neighbors. When soldiers shot unarmed citizens in the street, it was such intensely human, now broken bonds that fueled what quickly became a bitterly fought American Revolution.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: https://www.worldcat.org/title/boston-massacre-a-family-history/oclc/1104300975&referer=brief_results
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 9780544911154
Copy sent to NEH?: Yes

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