Propaganda and Misinterpretation in the Colonies

In the colonies, people invested power into radical patriots. However, their arguments against England were not particularly virtuous, honest, or logical. The patriots’ propaganda skewed Britain’s intentions in order to persuade people to revolt. In addition, the radicals misinterpreted a lot of Britain’s actions. This certainly caused people to defy England eve more, though it was not always deserved. One example of the colonists’ propaganda was Paul Revere’s drawing of the Boston Massacre called Innocent Blood Crying to God from the Streets of Boston. To this day, it is still not clear who fired the first shot during the massacre. However, Revere depicts the scene as a pre- meditated attack on the colonists. In actuality, the Sons of Liberty instigated Captain Thomas Preston of the British regiment to stand up to the frustrated rebels. However, Revere’s representation of the night of March 5, 1770 led people to twist events in order to fit their personal opinions. The colonies supported freedom of the press and clear information from the authorities; therefore, Revere’s drawing contradicted the wishes of the colonists and misinformed his audience. While propaganda certainly affected the colonists’ radical patterns of thinking, sometimes the general public simply misinterpreted events. For example, as part of the Quebec Act, England legalized the Roman Catholic Church. While these notable actions actually promoted religious tolerance, the colonists believed that England was trying to convert people to Catholicism and assert the pope’s power over them. Naturally, this was not England’s intent, but the colonists just saw it as another example of England’s overarching supremacy. Overall, propaganda and misinterpretation led people to revolt against England, even though it might not have always been deserved.