Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard round the world.
R.W. Emerson - "Concord Hymn"
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| Photo credit: Wikipedia Replica of "Old North Bridge" |
This poem excerpt is about the start of the American Revolutionary War for Independence.On this day, April 19, 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought.
You probably thought the war for American independence started July 4th, 1776, right? I did at one time. However, that would be wrong. There were many skirmishes between the Colonists and British soldiers even before Lexington and Concord. There was the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea party, and many other violent instances occurring over the years. You may even think the war was about taxes, but it was about more than money. If you read the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental Congress wrote down everything that led the American people people to their state of unrest. Even Thomas Paine's Common Sense was written in anger at the unjust acts of their unwanted king.
But this day, these battle sights, were the official beginnings of the Revolutionary War.
The cities of Lexington and Concord are both in Massachusetts, where much of the Revolution began. The night before the big day, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel Prescott rode throughout the country all night long, warning the the Massachusetts militia and Minutemen of coming British attack. These colonists were mostly simple farmers, trying to earn their freedom. At the time, many of the earliest American soldiers were called Minutemen, before they officially formed the Continental Army. Why the name Minutemen? Because they were able to be ready for battle at a minute's notice.
The British had been occupying Boston since the Boston Tea Party of December 1773, when the colonists threw the highly taxed tea into the waters of Boston Harbor. The soldiers were sent to stop the rebellious deeds of the colonists, and arrest any trouble makers.
Word got to Dr. Joseph Warren about the British soldiers planning to seize ammunition from the colonists at Lexington. And they were trying to do it secretly, without any resistance. The rag tag band of colonist rebels did not have a lot of fire power already, and what they had was precious. So, they gathered together to save their ammunition, by standing up to the British soldiers.
The colonists were given strict orders not to fire at their enemy, unless the enemy fired first. The British were ordered not fire until they were ordered to.
On April 19th, 1775, at break of dawn, on Lexington Green, the British army and the Boston Minutemen faced each other, ready to carry out their tasks.
The British commander ordered the Bostonian militia to disperse, lay down their arms, and go home. But the men held their ground.
After this point their was much confusion. A shot was fired, but even to this day, no one knows who fired the first shot. This is what is known as the "Shot Heard Round the World".
After that first shot, the British soldiers began firing upon the rebels. The colonists fired back a few times, but ended up retreating, leaving 8 Americans dead on Lexington Green.
The Rebels gathered their wits back, and gained reinforcements, while the British continued to Concord, awaiting their reinforcements. The British decided to dismantle the old North Bridge so the Americans could not cross over the Concord River. But the Americans got to the bridge before the British could finish their task, and the British took on their first casualties of the new war.
The Americans chased the British all the way back to Boston, and besieged them there. Thus began the American war for independence.
Some great resources, if you would like to read about this stuff for yourself, is History.com and Wikipedia. Something kid friendly, and highly recommended, is a cartoon series called Liberty's Kids. There is also a Disney movie called Johnny Tremain, which starts in Boston just months before the Boston Tea Party, and ends with the siege of Boston after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. This movie is based off of a book of the same title, written by Esther Forbes. The book has much more story, and is more focused on life of a citizen watching, and getting involved with, the events of the time. I highly recommend this book, but it does have some "PG" moments.
Thanks for reading my celebration post of the 242nd anniversary of the start of our country!
Elizabeth :)
Jesus Loves You! <3