State your argument: were Captain Preston and the soldiers guilty of wrongdoing?Include examples and information from what you read.

Answer:

The soldiers were wrong to fire into the crowd, because their shots killed people and they should have used greater restraint. However, the testimonies gave conflicting accounts of whether Captain Preston ordered them to fire, and the soldiers said the crowd had threatened and attacked them. John Adams argued that they acted in self-defense and that each soldier’s guilt had to be proven. I think the soldiers may have acted wrongfully by firing, but the evidence does not prove that Preston gave the order or that the soldiers intended to murder anyone.