For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

This issue is related to the events of the Boston Massacre. The Boston Massacre took place on March 5th, 1770 when small groups of colonist were tormenting British soldiers. There was a solider that was standing in front of Custom House that lashed out; this made more colonists flock to the situation. The solider called for help and a group of about seven to eight men came to the rescue under the leadership of Captain Thomas Preston Colonists then started to throw snowballs at the British soldiers to provoke the situation even more. One of the British soldiers fired his musket into the crowd which was followed by another shot. After the first shot was fired the crowed push away from the scene and all they could be seen was the Redcoat line. In the end several people were left wounded and five people were left dead. Due to the event of five colonists getting killed the charges that were laid on the British soldiers who shot them was that they had to get their thumbs branded. This was merely a slap on the wrist of a punishment for the crime that was committed. The soldiers should of been given a harsher punishment for their crime. This is what this part of the Declaration of Independence represents, that anyone who commits a crime against one of the “inhabitants” should receive the punishment in which they deserve. This was issues was included into the Declaration of Independence was due to the Boston Massacre. The British had killed five colonists for not justified reason, and the colonists wanted to British soldiers to be punished. The punishment that they received was not seen as even and as to the crime that they had committed. Hence as to why this line appears. The colonist want to make sure that if a murder is to murder another colonist they will receive a punishment that will fit to the crime. Also this was a way of sending a message back to George III saying that the monarchy cannot get away with giving light punishments to heavy crimes. The colonist are taking a stand and putting their foot down and telling the monarch what they are going to do if a situation like the Boston Massacre was to happened again.

Sources:
Martin Kelly, “The Boston Massacre – American Revolution and Boston Massacre” October 2007.

Carl Robert Keyes, public presentation, October 11, 2007.

Hiller Zobel, The Boston Massacre (New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1970), 198

Adam Reid