The "Boston Massacre" refers to a confrontation that occurred on March 5, 1770, in which British soldiers killed five colonists in Boston, Massachusetts. The event was fueled by increasing tensions between American colonists and British authorities, largely due to taxation without representation and the presence of British troops. The Massacre became a rallying point for colonial opposition to British rule and was used as propaganda by revolutionary leaders like Samuel Adams to galvanize public sentiment against Britain, ultimately contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolution.