The Boston Massacre happened primarily because of growing tensions between American colonists and British authorities over taxation and British military presence. The colonists were upset with British-imposed taxes like the Stamp Act and Townshend Acts, which they felt were unfair as they had no representation in the British Parliament. Additionally, British troops were stationed in Boston starting in 1768 to enforce these laws and control growing unrest, which further angered and provoked the colonists. Leading up to the event on March 5, 1770, there had been ongoing confrontations between colonists and British soldiers. On that day, a crowd of angry Bostonians harassed British guards, throwing objects and verbally abusing them. The situation escalated, and British soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. This clash marked a deadly peak in colonial resistance to British rule and helped fuel the American Revolution.
