Last Massacre Day Celebration in Boston
- When
- 1783
- Where
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Episodes
- 2
Massacre Day, a Boston holiday commemorating the 1770 Boston Massacre, was observed for the final time in 1783. With the Revolutionary War concluded and American independence secured, the Boston Board of Selectmen chose to replace the March 5 observance with Independence Day, celebrated on July 4 in honor of the Declaration of Independence.
Episodes
- Final Observance of Massacre Day
Boston held the last Massacre Day observance in 1783, ending an annual commemoration of the 1770 Boston Massacre that had run since 1771.
- Replacement with Independence Day
With the Revolutionary War ended and independence secured, the Boston Board of Selectmen replaced Massacre Day with Independence Day on July 4.
Background and detail
Background. Massacre Day was a holiday held in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1771 to 1783. It was observed on March 5, the anniversary of the 1770 Boston Massacre. Each year, a featured speaker would deliver an oration to commemorate the massacre.
Final Observance. The final observance of Massacre Day took place in 1783. With the end of the American Revolutionary War and the securing of American independence, the Boston Board of Selectmen considered it appropriate to replace the holiday with Independence Day, held on July 4 in honor of the Declaration of Independence.
People involved
- Boston Board of Selectmen · Municipal body that decided to replace Massacre Day with Independence Day
Sources
- Massacre Day Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-01
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.