This book is what we used to call "popular history", that is history not written by academics and designed to be read by the general literate public. I never much liked this term--a book is either a solid history or not. This one clearly is a solid history, of much value whether the reader has a strong history background or is just curious about the famous 1770 Boston massacre trial. Given the authors' solid performance in their book on Lincoln, I expected a fine book and I was not disappointed.
The book proceeds chronologically. First there is an introductory discussion of the Boston colony and the massacre. Why were 2,000 British troops there in the first place? Then a couple of chapters are devoted to Adams, his practice and writings, and his involvement in opposing British rule. Nonetheless, the authors probe why he took on the defense of Captain Preston and his seven soldiers in two separate trials even though this might severely damage his practice. Since revenge rather than justice was what Boston seemed to be demanding.
The authors first discuss the trial of Captain Preston. There was no official transcript kept of this trial (or many other trials), so the description is less detailed than the second trial account. One of the interesting things to me was how the lawyers tried to educate the jurors as to legal concepts. Writers on English law such as Blackstone, were relied upon. Having a defense lawyer conducting a trial was a rare event at this time. In fact the Adams defensive team was comprised of three lawyers; in addition there we four judges presiding. What was to come in the second trial was strongly suggested here: much testimony with a lot of conflicts. Adams was able to convince the jury that the prosecution never proved that Preston gave the order for his troops to "fire." He was acquitted.
The second trial is the core of the book. The authors are fortunate because someone had paid a private wordsmith to create some manner of transcript for this trial. This book is somewhat unique in that the author's discuss the testimony given by a very large number of witnesses--not just a summary. There was little physical evidence, so the testimony was the key thing. This can get a bit numbing for the reader since there are many discrepancies in the testimony which the authors identify. Key issues come up again and again: who shot whom, when, did the mob threaten the soldiers sufficiently to justify self defense, did the mob heave a great deal of material at the soldiers before they fired, and was the mob made up of local citizens (a point Adams wisely stayed away from) or was it composed of "rabble" and armed sailors looking for trouble Though making one's way through all this testimony can be daunting, it shows you the challenges Adams faced in defending these troops.
I was surprised in the scholarly arguments Adams made. He read frequently out of leading English legal works and threw quite a lot of complex legal issues at the jurors. But going into these issues in depth, and Adams is quoted extensively, gives the reader a much better grasp of the issues. It was also interesting to see the four judges charge the jurors, in the typical English fashion of the day by discussing substantive issues of fact or hinting at what parts of the evidence they found convincing. Only two soldiers were convicted, not of murder but of manslaughter. These two argued for "benefit of clergy" since they could read, and got off with being branded on their thumbs.Adams therefore prevailed, but as the authors explain, so too did the rule of law at this early point in American history. My only criticism of the book is that it lacks any notes, though a solid bibliography is attached.
John Adams Under Fire: The Founding Father's Fight for Justice in the Boston Massacre Murder Trial
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