Juror at the trial of Captain Preston

1. Answer the question!
a. “If you had been a juror at the trial of Captain Preston, what verdict would you have rendered and why?”
2. Be sure to analyze the sources; do not just summarize them –not merely “what” but “why” and “how.”
a. To do this, you will need to keep your essay closely tied to the testimony. Don’t wander away from your purpose using vague generalities. Don’t make assertions that you don’t support with evidence from the sources.
i. Don’t say, “the crowd was unruly” without mentioning how you know that. ii. You need to say, “the crowd was unruly as evidenced by the testimony of several witnesses including Theodore Bliss who said, “I saw the People throw Snow Balls at the Soldiers and saw a Stick about 3 feetlong strike a Soldier upon the right.”1
3.Be sure you have a clear, concise thesis (argument) that you develop through your essay.
a. In this case, it would be your position on Capt. Preston’s guilt or innocence.
4.Your introduction should serve as a “road map” for the reader. Use your introductory paragraph to tell your reader where you are going in your paper and how you are going to get there.
a.The introduction is where you want to provide the context for the essay. In this case you should give a very brief description of the atmosphere in Boston at the time of the “Massacre” along with a reference to the event itself and the range of testimonies with which you will deal.
b.Toward the end of your introduction,list the major points you will use to prove your argument and state your argument.
5.Each paragraph should add another point to the development of your thesis/argument.
a.In each paragraph consider one aspect of the issues involved in this case. b.Within each paragraph, mention the conflicting testimony and then analyze it. Why do you think it supports your contention regarding Preston’s guilt or innocence? How does it illustrate the point you are making?
6.Conclude with a conclusion!