The American colonists were justified in waging war and breaking away from Britain because they forced them to pay unnecessary taxes and ruled over the colonies with British laws. In 1765, Britain needed more money to help finance their debt from other wars that they were involved with. They decided to impose more taxes on the colonies to help them. In March of
1765 they passed the Stamp Act in the colonies. It required colonists to buy a special stamped paper for every legal document, license, newspaper pamphlet and almanac. It also imposed a special “stamp duties” on packages of playing cards and dice. According to Document 2 the
Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania by John Dickinson which he states, “ There is another
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Committees are appointed to inspect into the characters and conduct of every tradesman, to prevent them selling tea or buying
British manufactures”. Merchants from major cities agreed not to import goods manufactured in
Britain until the stamp act was repealed. This was the first time that separate colonies united and acted as one against Britain.

In 1768 British agents seized a ship belonging to Boston merchant, John Hancock called the
Liberty. They claimed that it did not pay taxes on the wine they brought in from Spain. Once again the colonists were angered and they formed riots against the customs agents. Afterward,
Britain then stationed 2,000 soldiers in Boston. The colonists did not like the presence of the soldiers in Boston and continually clashed with them. Tensions also rose when the British soldiers starting to take away job shipyard jobs from the colonist. According to Document 3, on March 5, 1770 a crowd of Boston boys surrounded British soldiers yelling at them and throwing snowballs at them. It states the frightened solders fired into the crowd killing 4 people
This confrontation was called the Boston Massacre. It was called a massacre because more