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Daniel Malcolm

Captain Daniel Malcolm ( – October 23, 1769) was an American merchant, sea captain, and smuggler. Malcolm was known for resisting the British authorities in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. He was the brother of John Malcolm, a minor British customs officer who was violently tarred and feathered by a Boston mob. When the Townshend Acts were passed, Malcolm instigated a boycott on British imports. He led a group of Boston merchants to stop importing products for a year in 1769. He was particularly noted for smuggling sixty casks of wine without paying any dues. When British customs men showed up to confiscate the contraband stowed in his cellar, he refused. Malcolm was able to muster four hundred men and boys to block British reinforcements. This episode is said to have contributed to the Liberty Affair involving John Hancock. Malcolm publicized the illegal seizure of a vessel owned by Hancock, who was also a known smuggler. It is said that he took risk in providing this eyewitness account, which was published in the Boston Chronicles January 9, 1769, issue. The Liberty Affair led to a riot that was one of the main factors in the British government's decision to send troops to Boston, a move that would culminate in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. Malcolm died on October 23, 1769, and was buried in Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground.…

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Article summary

Captain Daniel Malcolm ( – October 23, 1769) was an American merchant, sea captain, and smuggler. Malcolm was known for resisting the British authorities in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War. He was the brother of John Malcolm, a minor British customs officer who was violently tarred and feathered by a Boston mob. When the Townshend Acts were passed, Malcolm instigated a boycott on British imports. He led a group of Boston merchants to stop importing products for a year in 1769. He was particularly noted for smuggling sixty casks of wine without paying any dues. When British customs men showed up to confiscate the contraband stowed in his cellar, he refused. Malcolm was able to muster four hundred men and boys to block British reinforcements. This episode is said to have contributed to the Liberty Affair involving John Hancock. Malcolm publicized the illegal seizure of a vessel owned by Hancock, who was also a known smuggler. It is said that he took risk in providing this eyewitness account, which was published in the Boston Chronicles January 9, 1769, issue. The Liberty Affair led to a riot that was one of the main factors in the British government's decision to send troops to Boston, a move that would culminate in the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. Malcolm died on October 23, 1769, and was buried in Boston's Copp's Hill Burying Ground.…

Key claims

  1. date of death: 1769-10-23 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. publication date: 1769-01-09 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the date of death is "1769-10-23". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the publication date is "1769-01-09". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.