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By 1774, tensions between the American colonies and Britain escalated as colonists prepared for potential conflict. Despite fears of war, colonial leaders were determined to protect their rights, leading to the pivotal events of April 1775. British General Thomas Gage's orders to arrest Patriot leaders and destroy militia supplies sparked the iconic Midnight Ride of Paul Revere and William Dawes. The confrontation at Lexington and Concord marked the beginning of armed resistance, with colonial militias gathering to confront British troops and defend their liberties, thus igniting the American Revolution.
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Essential Question • What series of events led to the official beginning of the American Revolution?
The Revolution Begins Ch 6 Sec 3 Pt II
Colonists Prepare to Fight • By 1774, colonists were preparing for potential armed conflict w/ the British • Most colonial leaders, though, believed war w/ Britain would be a disaster • The colonies had no standing army or navy • Britain, on the other hand, had: • A highly-trained & experienced army • The World’s largest & most powerful navy
The British “Attack” • General Thomas Gage was the British Governor of MA in 1775. • Gage received information that the MA militia was storing arms & ammunition in Concord (about 20 miles NW of Boston) • It was also known that Sam Adams & John Hancock were staying in nearby Lexington • On the night of April 18, 1775, Gage ordered his troops to march out of Boston: • 1. Arrest Adams & Hancock • 2. Destroy the militia’s supplies in Concord
Summary/Test Question • Why did British troops march from Boston into the countryside in April 1775? • To break up the First Continental Congress • To capture Paul Revere • To recover cannons that rebel colonists had captured • To arrest Patriot leaders and destroy militia supplies
The Midnight Ride • The Sons of Liberty were prepared for this British advance • Messengers were stationed around Boston in order to alert the militia if the British moved out of Boston • Paul Revere and William Dawes were charged with riding out from Boston to sound an alarm • Revere had arranged a system of signals to alert colonists across the harbor of British troop movement
New Arrives in Concord • The signal was placed in the steeple of the Old North Church: • 1 lantern burning meant British troops were taking the land route • 2 lanterns burning meant they were leaving Boston by water • When the British moved, so did Revere & Dawes • They rode through the night spreading the news • In Lexington, they were joined by Dr. Samuel Prescott • When Revere & Dawes were stopped by a British patrol, Prescott broke away and took the news to Concord
Lexington & Concord • At dawn on Apr.19, 1775, more than 700 British troops had reached Lexington • 70 colonial militiamen met them on the town green • Colonists were told to drop their muskets, but refused • Suddenly a shot rang out, & within minutes 8 militiamen were dead • The British then marched on to Concord where a major engagement broke out
Minutemen • Over 4,000 minutemen arrived in the area within hours of the first shot at Lexington • These militiamen were trained to fight “at a minute’s notice” • At Concord, they forced the British to retreat • Then, using the stone walls that lined the road for cover, they harassed the British all the way back to Boston • Soon after the battles at Lexington & Concord ended, both sides realized that a revolution in the colonies had officially begun
