Reinforcements arrived and opened fire on the mob, killing five colonists and wounding six. Later known as the Boston Massacre, the fight began after an unruly group of colonists-frustrated with the presence of British soldiers in their streets- flung snowballs, ice and oyster shells at a British sentinel guarding the Boston Customs House. On March 5, 1770, a street brawl happened in Boston between American colonists and British soldiers. They were furious at being taxed without having any representation in Parliament, and felt it was wrong for Britain to impose taxes on them to gain revenue. The British government felt the taxes were fair since much of its debt was earned fighting wars on the colonists’ behalf.
The Townshend Acts of 1767 went a step further, taxing essentials such as paint, paper, glass, lead and tea. The Stamp Act of 1765 taxed colonists on virtually every piece of printed paper they used, from playing cards and business licenses to newspapers and legal documents. In the 1760s, Britain was deep in debt, so British Parliament imposed a series of taxes on American colonists to help pay those debts. Boston Tea Party Why Did the Boston Tea Party Happen?
