<human>:  What is the history behind the Boston Massacre?
<bot>: The Boston Massacre was a 1770 confrontation between American colonists and British troops in which five colonists were killed. The incident, which has long been infamous in American history, began when a crowd of colonists confronted a British guard and threw snowballs, rocks, and sticks at him. The guard then called for reinforcements and British troops opened fire, killing five colonists and wounding six others. The event resulted in an outcry of outrage and anti-British sentiment in the colonies and was ultimately used as a political rallying cry for those advocating for American independence from Britain.