Final answer:
Crispus Attucks, a man of African and Native American descent, was the first to die in the Boston Massacre, an event that exacerbated the conflict between British soldiers and colonists, leading to the American War for Independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first person to die in the conflict between the British and the colonists was Crispus Attucks. He was killed during an event known as the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. This tragic event highlighted the escalating tensions and eventual violent confrontation between British soldiers and Bostonians, which arose from the resentment against British occupation, economic competition, and the consequences of taxation without representation.
Crispus Attucks became an emblematic figure, regarded as the first casualty in the lead-up to the American War for Independence. His death was commemorated by abolitionist William C. Nell, who recognized Attucks' role as a man of African and Native American ancestry in his work on the Patriot side during the American Revolution.
The Boston Massacre, where British soldiers fired into a crowd after being assaulted by projectiles, resulted in the deaths of five individuals, with Attucks being the first. The incident significantly strained the already tense relationship between the British and the colonies, setting the stage for the Revolutionary War that would follow five years later.