What would John Adams say about attorneys who are the subjects of cancel culture because of whom they represent?

As an attorney, John Adams is best known for his representation in two separate trials of the defendants in the incident known as the "Boston Massacre." In 1770, a British captain, Thomas Preston, and eight British sailors opened fire on a shouting, cursing mob that was pelting them with snow. Five colonials were killed. Thirty-four-year-old John Adams was asked to represent these British soldiers because no one else would. Adams accepted, as he was firm in his belief that no one in a free country should be denied the right to counsel and a fair trial.

For these two very high-profile murder trials, Adams was paid 18 guineas, each guinea being one pound and one shilling. Based on inflation since 1770, 18 guineas would be worth today the princely sum of approximately $4,600. The captain was tried first and acquitted, and in a second trial, six of the eight sailors were acquitted, while two were found not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. These two were then branded on their thumbs.