On March 5, 1770, British soldiers fired on a crowd of people in Boston. Five people died from gunshot wounds. This event became known as the Boston Massacre. British law required a fair trial by a jury for those involved in the massacre. Both the Loyalists and the Patriots wanted to see justice. The Loyalists felt the soldiers should be pardoned. The Patriots, though, wanted to find the soldiers guilty in a fair trial to prove to the world that America could be seen as a place where justice resides. Both sides wanted to calm people down and avoid further bloodshed.