Christopher Seider
Encyclopedia
Christopher Seider baptized in Braintree, Massachusetts
, in March 1759 http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/05/christopher-seider-shooting-victim.html, was a boy killed in a political fight in Boston on February 22, 1770. His funeral became a major political event, and his killing heightened tensions that erupted into the Boston Massacre
on March 5, 1770.
of March 1770.
This killing and Seider's large public funeral fueled public outrage that reached a peak in the Boston Massacre
eleven days later. Richardson was convicted of murder that spring, but received a royal pardon and a new job within the customs service, on the grounds that he had acted in self-defense; this became a major American grievance against the British government. Seider's death was thus one event that led to the American Revolution
, and some historians have called him the first victim of that conflict.
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
, in March 1759 http://boston1775.blogspot.com/2006/05/christopher-seider-shooting-victim.html, was a boy killed in a political fight in Boston on February 22, 1770. His funeral became a major political event, and his killing heightened tensions that erupted into the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
on March 5, 1770.
Life
Seider was the son of poor German immigrants, and apparently worked as a household servant for a wealthy widow. On February 22, 1770, he joined a crowd of boys mobbing the house of Ebenezer Richardson located in the North End, Boston. Richardson was a customs service employee who had tried to disperse the boys' protest in front of a shop selling goods from Britain. The young crowd, joined by some adults, threw stones which broke Richardson's windows and struck his wife. Richardson tried to scare them away with his musket, and then fired a load of birdshot down from his window. Seider was struck in the chest, and died that evening. He is buried in the same grave as the victims of the Boston MassacreBoston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
of March 1770.
This killing and Seider's large public funeral fueled public outrage that reached a peak in the Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, called the Boston Riot by the British, was an incident on March 5, 1770, in which British Army soldiers killed five civilian men. British troops had been stationed in Boston, capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, since 1768 in order to protect and support...
eleven days later. Richardson was convicted of murder that spring, but received a royal pardon and a new job within the customs service, on the grounds that he had acted in self-defense; this became a major American grievance against the British government. Seider's death was thus one event that led to the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and some historians have called him the first victim of that conflict.