Question

which of the following best describes how boston massacre demonstrated colonial attitudes as of 1770, five years before the outbreak of the revolutionary war?
a. the massacre created the earliest doubts among colonists that their rights were well protected under the existing imperial system.
b. the massacre revealed the seriousness of long-simmering tensions between colonists and parliament, but also showed that most americans still saw independence as too radical a step.
c. the massacres victims became known in retrospect as the first martyrs of the american revolutionary cause.
d. the massacre was the final straw that pushed even the most hesitant colonists the the conclusion that independence from britain was necessary.

Explanation:

The Boston Massacre was not the final straw (d is incorrect as the war started 5 years later). Doubts about rights protection were not the earliest (a is wrong). While the victims are remembered, the key aspect is the tension - it showed serious tensions (like between colonists and British authority represented in part by Parliament) but most still didn't want independence yet (b is correct).

Answer:

B. The Massacre revealed the seriousness of long - simmering tensions between colonists and Parliament, but also showed that most Americans still saw independence as too radical a step.