Paul Revere was an important member of the Sons of Liberty, a pin smith and an engraver. One of his most famous pieces of art was a depiction of the Boston Massacre in 1770. Although this is a firsthand account, it cannot be considered a reliable source. As an avid patron of the freedom of the colonists, his drawings are extremely biased in favor of the colonies. He leaves out the historical evidence of the Boston Massacre where the colonists are also at fault. Therefore, his Boston Massacre piece is a quintessential example of propaganda from the Sons of Liberty. In his etching, he uses techniques of propaganda such as card-stacking, loaded words, and stereotyping. The technique of propaganda that Revere uses the most and perhaps is the
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The title of the piece itself, “The Bloody Massacre,” is a phrase full of emotion. By calling the massacre “bloody” and seeing the blood only strewn across the colonists, the viewer would feel remorse and sorrow for the colonists. The word “bloody” creates an image in one’s head full of sadness, death, and haunting thoughts. By titling his piece with that word, he tugs at the heartstrings of those who are viewing it. In the engraving itself, there are only two phrases that are visibly present. Those phrases are “Customs House” and “Butcher’s Hall.” The Customs House was a government office used for the regulation of trade in the colonies. By placing the Customs House sign over the heads of the soldiers, it would remind the colonists viewing the artwork that England places the unfair trade and mercantilist laws on them. Viewers would see that sign, as well as the rifle being shot out of the second story window of the Customs House, and the “violent” soldiers attacking the “innocent” colonists, and become even more infuriated with England. The Butcher’s Hall sign has an obvious yet impactful effect. A butcher slaughters meat, and by etching this sign directly above the soldiers’ heads, it symbolizes them as the butchers. However, they are butchers of human beings rather than animals. Butcher’s Hall is not reported in any of the historical accounts of the Boston
The title of the piece itself, “The Bloody Massacre,” is a phrase full of emotion. By calling the massacre “bloody” and seeing the blood only strewn across the colonists, the viewer would feel remorse and sorrow for the colonists. The word “bloody” creates an image in one’s head full of sadness, death, and haunting thoughts. By titling his piece with that word, he tugs at the heartstrings of those who are viewing it. In the engraving itself, there are only two phrases that are visibly present. Those phrases are “Customs House” and “Butcher’s Hall.” The Customs House was a government office used for the regulation of trade in the colonies. By placing the Customs House sign over the heads of the soldiers, it would remind the colonists viewing the artwork that England places the unfair trade and mercantilist laws on them. Viewers would see that sign, as well as the rifle being shot out of the second story window of the Customs House, and the “violent” soldiers attacking the “innocent” colonists, and become even more infuriated with England. The Butcher’s Hall sign has an obvious yet impactful effect. A butcher slaughters meat, and by etching this sign directly above the soldiers’ heads, it symbolizes them as the butchers. However, they are butchers of human beings rather than animals. Butcher’s Hall is not reported in any of the historical accounts of the Boston