MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
Language / Idioma
Choose your path

Reading tools & my notebook
My passport
Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

Observe first. Infer carefully.

A picture has a point of view.

Choose a numbered clue. Say what you can see before deciding what it might mean. This image shows a violent historical event; explore it with your teacher.

Paul Revere’s 1770 engraving: a crowd at left faces British soldiers at right, with a title and verses framing the scene
Paul Revere, 1770. A published print, not a photograph or a complete record of the event. Image record
Clue 1 of 5

The title

Read the title at the top. Which words create a feeling?

One observation

The title calls the event “The Bloody Massacre.”

One possible inference

The words may be meant to shape how viewers feel about the event.

Investigate: How would a different title change your first impression?

Grades 6–8: compare two accounts

Investigate how Revere’s print relates to Henry Pelham’s image. Compare the print with witness accounts and ask which details support or complicate your first interpretation.

Investigate with Gilder Lehrman ↗Search Massachusetts Historical Society sources ↗
Explore the six lessons →Image credits & sources →
Browse all collections