This activity was designed to be a multi-day warm-up activity, but it can be used as a stand-alone activity. This activity uses an excerpt from John Adams' diary entry from a few years after the Boston Massacre, in which he reflects on his decision to defend the British soldiers involved in the infamous shooting. This activity requires students to identify the author, audience, time, place, meaning, and purpose of the document, as well as to define two words in context. Two open-ended interpr