This Day in History:, The Boston Massacre.<br />March 5, 1770.<br />A skirmish in front of the Boston Custom House <br />between British soldiers and angry colonists ended in <br />violence when the troops opened fire on the crowd.<br />Three Americans were killed instantly and several <br />other men eventually died from their injuries.<br />The incident followed several years of tensions <br />and violence in colonial Massachusetts.<br />... partly due to revenue duties imposed on the colonists by <br />the Townshed Acts passed by British Parliament.<br />The violence turned colonial sentiment against <br />the British and King George in the years leading <br />up to the American Revolution.<br />John Adams wrote that the "foundation of <br />American independence was laid" by the massacre
