Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! Baylor Law School and History Department to Commemorate 250th Anniversary of Boston Massacre with Trial Performance

Media Contact: Baylor University Media and Public Relations, 254-710-1961
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by Cacey Vigil, student newswriter, Baylor University Media and Public Relations

WACO, Texas (March 2, 2020) – This week marks the 250th anniversary of the Boston Massacre and to commemorate it, students from the Baylor University department of history and Baylor Law School will stage a performance of the trials that occurred after this historic event. The performance will be at at 3 p.m. Thursday, March 5 in Bennett Auditorium, 1420 S. Seventh St.

“This performance allows students to see different perspectives about what happened that night as well as the many ways different political factions reimagined that event for their own agenda,” said Julie Sweet, Ph.D., professor of history. “It causes them to rethink how to approach all events in history and view them as multifaceted and complicated rather than just one-sided.”

Students dedicated their time to do a microhistory of the Boston Massacre, which helped them learn about the different perspectives about what happened the night of this historic event and ultimately deepened their understanding of it. After taking time to study the event and those involved in the incident, students developed their own characters based on their research.

They have studied various historical documents and have learned about the person on whom they’ve based their character, Sweet said. It will be exciting for them since they will perform those characters dressed in colonial attire while educating and entertaining a large audience, she said.

Sweet collaborated with Baylor Law Professor Gerald Powell, Master Teacher and The Abner V. McCall Professor of Evidence at Baylor Law , to put on this performance.

Having collaborated with each other on previous projects, they thought a performance would be an interesting way to commemorate the historic event’s anniversary, Powell said.

“It presents a unique opportunity for history students to do research in their field and our law students to practice their trial skills,” Powell said.

History students look at the historical events through the eyes of the participants, while law students will have to deal with issues common to modern trial practice in the 18th century. As such, they will see that human conflict in court is timeless, Powell said.

But all the fun isn’t reserved for students. Attendees will get to experience a living history with this student performance and will get to watch an improvised trial based on historical events unfold before them.

“They’ll see that history isn’t boring and that it can be taught, learned and experienced in many different ways,” Sweet said.

This performance is presented by the department of history and Baylor Law School. The performance will be at 3 p.m. March 5 in Bennett Auditorium, 1420 S. Seventh St.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 18,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

The College of Arts & Sciences is Baylor University’s oldest and largest academic division, consisting of 25 academic departments and seven academic centers and institutes. The more than 5,000 courses taught in the College span topics from art and theatre to religion, philosophy, sociology and the natural sciences. Faculty conduct research around the world, and research on the undergraduate and graduate level is prevalent throughout all disciplines. Visit www.baylor.edu/artsandsciences.

ABOUT BAYLOR LAW

Established in 1857, Baylor University School of Law was one of the first law schools in Texas and one of the first west of the Mississippi River. Accredited by the American Bar Association and a member of the Association of American Law Schools, Baylor Law has more than 7,500 living alumni and a record of producing outstanding lawyers, many of whom decide upon a career in public service. The Law School includes among its notable alumni two governors, members or former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, two former directors of the FBI, U.S. ambassadors, federal judges, justices of the Texas Supreme Court and members of the Texas Legislature. U.S. News & World Report ranks Baylor Law’s trial advocacy program at No. 2 nationally, while the Law School is ranked No. 48 overall in the magazine’s 2020 edition of Best Graduate Schools. The National Jurist ranks Baylor Law as one of the Best Schools for Practical Training and in the top 15 Best Law School Facilities in the country. The Business Insider places Baylor Law among the top 50 law schools in the nation. In 2015, Baylor Law received the American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award, making it only the third law school in the nation to be honored with the award since the award’s inception in 1984. Learn more at baylor.edu/law.