Snowballs and other small objects were thrown at the armed soldiers. They stood at attention, their muskets shouldered, and stood through the continued harassment. Suddenly, Private Montgomery was hit over the head with a club by one of the protesters. Falling to the ground, the soldier had reached his breaking point. He rose and yelled, “Damn you, fire!” He fired his musket into the crowd followed by a brief pause. The crowd and the soldiers stared at each other and then the company of soldiers opened fire on the crowd, killing three Americans instantly and two more over the next two weeks. Tensions in Boston had gotten even worse.
The Boston Massacre was a foreshadowing to the American Revolution where the American people, through armed rebellion, broke away from the British Empire for good. While it would take five more years before Lexington and Concord, this was an example of the strenuous times. In reaction to the Boston Massacre, things only became even more stressful in the colonies. Thirteen years after this event, the United States was officially free from British control.
The events of the American Revolution and the continuous protests that colonists held against the British government are similar to what is going on currently in Iran. For the second time in so many months, Iranian students have fought back against the oppressive government of Iran. In severely bloody clashes between students and Basij militia members, the two opposing sides to where Iran is going fought fiercely. Similar to how America fought back against the authoritarianism of the British Empire, the Iranian youth, the intellects, and those that are the future of the country fought back against the Iranian government.
It is because of these protests that the Iranian future has been written. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei might try and oppress these protests, but the harder they try to hold the protests back, the more momentum the protesters will gain. Authoritarian regimes have a place when the people are more concerned about surviving and having enough food on their table; however, when there is enough money, those same authoritarian regimes because illegitimate in the eyes of people. We were fine with the British Empire as our colonies were growing, but when the British Empire became too authoritarian and stepped on our basic rights, we turned our back on them.
The per capita in Iran is $12,800, far more than the minimum $5,000 required for people to start caring more about how their government treats them enough to do something. The time has come for the Iranian protesters to turn their back on the authoritarian regime. It’s because of this that the young students that are protesting carry the future for Iran. The government might try, but the young minds are the ones that carry the future.
The most beneficial thing that the United States can do in this situation is continue pushing the Iranian government to ease up on their crimes against humanity. So long as America doesn’t come off as some hostile force against Iran, the government won’t be able to make themselves out to be a martyr which would give the people something to support. Continuing to make the Iranian government appear bad in the eyes of the people will only fuel their protests.
When the time comes that Iran turns into a full revolution, America should support the revolutionaries. This is not a religious run faction trying to become a new authoritarian regime of Iran. Instead, this is cultural and political reform being demanded. These Iranian students want change in Iran for the better and if America supports that change, they will have an increased chance at succeeding.
Revolution is not something that should be done lightly; however, if the people are continuously abused, they have a right to turn their back on the government. If these Iranian youth feel that the time has come for their government to be held accountable, the time has come for protesting. If it leads to full on revolution, these revolutionaries must be given the support.
About Jacob Cohen Donnelly
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