Final answer:
The colonists harbored hostile sentiments towards British soldiers, with tensions culminating in armed confrontations, as detailed in Captain Preston's account and Franklin's outrage over events at Lexington and Concord. British policies and the underestimation of colonial resistance contributed significantly to the hostilities leading to the Boston Massacre.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Captain Preston's account, the colonists felt hostile towards the soldiers. This animosity is evidenced by the colonists' formation in a military manner and the aggression shown when shots were fired from behind a wall at the soldiers during the encounter in Lexington mentioned by Colonel Smith. The situation was further exacerbated by the outrage expressed by Benjamin Franklin after the Lexington and Concord incidents, indicating widespread colonial anger and a perception of British forces as oppressors. This outrage was compounded by the proposal of emancipating American slaves, aimed at undermining the social structure of the Southern colonies, despite the fact that the measure did not pass.
Factors contributing to the Boston Massacre included resentment towards the British soldiers, especially because of laws requiring colonists to provide housing for them, which was seen as particularly offensive and even listed among the grievances in the Declaration of Independence. King George III's impatience and the British military's underestimation of colonial resistance further inflamed tensions, leading to the deployment of troops to quell the stockpiling of arms by the Minutemen in Lexington and Concord, ultimately resulting in armed confrontation.