“Facts are stubborn things,” John Adams thundered to the jury in closing one of the most important trials in American history. As the bitterness of New England colonies threatened to explode into war with England, young John Adams accepted the greatest challenge of his life: Defending the already notorious British soldiers who had killed five colonists.   The Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, has often been called the first shots of the American Revolution. “On that night,” Adams recalled, “The formation of American independence was born.” With blood still staining the snow-covered streets, Adams recognized that only the rule of law, not the passion of the mob, would prevent further mayhem.   He agreed to represent the soldiers, risking his law practice and his future. In the process he helped create some of the foundations of what would become pillars of United States law.   In this book, New York T