The Road to Lexington and Concord
One American’s Story:
Captain John Parker, according to legend, told his men: “Stand your ground; don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have war, let it begin here.”
Who was he talking to?
Captain John Parker was talking to the minutemen who had gathered to protect their citizens and powder stores from the British soldiers.
Where were they? and why were they there?
The minutemen had gathered on the green to prevent the British soldiers from taking their powder stores and shot that they would need.
The Intolerable Acts
The Boston __Tea______Party____ had aroused fury in Britain. One British official said that the people of Boston “ought to be knocked about their ears.” King Gorge III declared, “We must ____master_____ them or totally ___leave____ them to ___themselves______and treat them as aliens.” Britain chose to “_____master______” the colonies.
In 1774, Parliament passed a ____series ______of laws to _____punish______the Massachusetts colony and to serve as a _____warning_____ to other colonies. The British called these laws the __Coercive______Acts____, but they were so harsh that the colonists called them the _____Intolerable______Acts_____.
One of the acts would close the port of _____Boston______until the colonists paid for the ___destroyed______tea___. Others banned ___committees______of __correspondence______, allowed Britain to ___house___ troops wherever necessary and let British officials accused of crimes in the colonies stand trial in Britain. To __enforce______the acts, Parliament appointed General Thomas Gage governor of ___Massachusetts______.
In 1773, Sam Adams had written, “I wish we could __arouse______the_ ___continent______.” The ___Intolerable_____ Acts answered his wish. Other colonies ___immediately______offered Massachusetts their support. They sent ___food______and ____money______to Boston. The committees of correspondence also called for a _____meeting______of the colonial __delegates______to discuss what to do next.
The First Continental Congress Meets
In September 1774, delegates from __all__ the colonies except _____Georgia_____ met in ______Philadelphia______. At this meeting, called the ____First______Continental______Congress______, delegates voted to ban all trade with ____Britain_____ until the Intolerable Acts were ____repealed______. They also called on each colony to begin __training______troops_____. Georgia ___agreed___ to be a part of the actions of the Congress even though it had ___voted______not to send ____delegates______.
The First ___Continental______Congress marked a __key__ step in American ___history_____. Although most delegates were not ready to call for ______independence______, they were determined to uphold colonial ______rights______. This meeting planted the seed of a future independent _____government______. John Adams called it “a nursery of American statesmen.” The delegates agreed to meet in seven months, if necessary. By that time, however, _____fighting_____ with ______Britain______had begun.
Between War and Peace
The colonists hoped that the trade ______boycott_____ would force a __repeal___ of the Intolerable Acts. After all, past boycotts had led to the __repeal_____ of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. This time, however, ____Parliament______stood firm. It even ____increased______restrictions on colonial trade and sent more troops.
By the end of 1774, some colonists were preparing to ____fight______. In Massachusetts, John Hancock headed the ____Committee______of_ ____Saftey______, which had the power to call out the ____militia____. The colonial troops continued to train.
Most colonial ___leaders______believed that any fight with ___Britain______would be __short____. They thought that a show of ___force____ would make Britain change its policies few expected a war. One who did was Patrick Henry.
A Voice From The Past—“Gentlemen may cry peace—but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why should we idle here?...I know now what course others may take, But as for me, give me liberty or give me death.” Patrick Henry, quoted in Patriots by A.J. Langguth
What does Henry believe has already begun?
Patrick Henry believes that the war with Britain has already begun and they need to take the field and fight for their rights.
How does he feel about it? Do you agree with him, why or why not?
Patrick Henry feels that the war with Britain is just and that everyone who wants their liberty needs to join the fight. Student opinions will vary
Henry delivered what became his ___most______famous______speech_____ in the Virginia ______House_____ of Burgesses in March 1775.
The Midnight Ride
Meanwhile, ___spies______were busy on both sides. Sam Adams had built a spy ______network______to keep ___watch____ over British activities. The British had their ___spies____ too. They were Americans who were ____loyal____ to Britain. From them, General __Gage____ learned that the Massachusetts ___militia___ was storing arms and ammunition in Concord, about 20 miles northwest of Boston. He also heard that ____Sam ______Adams____ and _____John______Hancock______were in Lexington. On the night of _____April______18__, 1775, Gage ordered his troops to arrest Adams and Hancock in Lexington and to destroy the supplies in Concord.
The ______Sons______of______Liberty______had prepared for this moment. Paul Revere, a Boston silversmith, and a second messenger, William Dawes, were charged with _____spreading______the news about British troop movements. Revere had arranged a ______system______of ____signals______to alert colonists in Charlestown, on the shore opposite Boston. If __one___ lantern burned in the old NorthChurch steeple, the ___British______troops were coming by _____land______; if ___two____ they were coming by ______water______. Revere would go across the water from Boston to Charlestown and ride to Lexington and Concord from there. Dawes would take the __land___ route.
When the British moved, so did _____Revere______and _____Dawes____. They galloped over the countryside on their “midnight __ride____,” spreading the news. In Lexington, they were joined by Dr. ____Samuel______Prescott______. When Revere and Dawes were stopped by a ___British______patrol____, Prescott broke away and carried the message to Concord.
Lexington and Concord
At dawn on April 19, some ______700______British troops reached ___Lexington______. Thy found Captain John Parker and about ______70______militiamen______waiting. The British commander ordered the ______Americans______to drop their muskets. They refused. No one knows who ___fired______first___, but within a few minutes eight _____militiamen____ lay __dead_. The British then marched to Concord, where they destroyed __military____ supplies. A battle broke out at a _____bridge______north of town, forcing the ____British______to ____retreat____.
Nearly _____4,000______Minutemen and militiamen arrived in the area. They lined the road from Concord to Lexington and ____peppered______the _____retreating______redcoats with musket fire. “It seemed as if men came down from the clouds,” one soldier said. Only the arrival of 1,000 more ___troops_____ saved the ____British_____ from ____destruction______as they ___scrambled_____ back to Boston.
______Lexington______and ______Concord______were the ______first_____ battles of the ______Revolutionary______War_____. As Ralph Waldo Emerson later wrote, colonial troops had fired the “shot heard ‘round the world.” Americans would now have to _____choose______sides and back up their ____political______opinions by ____force____ of ____arms______. Those who supported the British were called _____Loyalists______. Those who sided with the rebels were ______Patriots______. The conflict between the two sides ___divided______communities, families, and friends. The war was on!
How would you describe the battle of Lexington and Concord?
Student answers will vary.
How important do you think this battle was in American history?
Student answers will vary.