The Shot Heard Round the World
Independence: The beginning of the Revolutionary War.
February 1775
The British declared Massachusetts to be in a state of rebellion in February 1775.
Rebel
A person who shows or feels resistance to something.
The British troops stationed there were given orders to disarm any rebels and arrest their leaders.
As part of these orders, the British Army attempted to capture military supplies but were challenged by Patriot soldiers.
This led to the first fighting, the first British deaths, and the first British retreat at the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775.
It was the shot that began the Revolutionary War against the British.
Since the King and British Government still technically owned the colonies, their communities were not exactly free.
The British had a highly trained army, the world’s largest navy, and a lot of money to fund the war.
But they had underestimated the Patriots.
They thought that the beginning of the war was no more than a large riot. That the rioters would back down. And that the Patriots would not have the support of the people. However, the Patriots were not simply rioters.
