This Month in History: The Battle of Lexington and Concord

This Month in History on April 19 1775 the first battle of the American Revolution was fought. The battle was known as the Battle of Lexington and Concord. The battle happened because the British and the American Colonists were upset with each other because the colonists believed that the British were taking advantage of them. The British had done such things as raising taxes and increasing the military presence in the colonies. The battle broke out because the British had ordered troops to seize weapons from the town of Concord and to Capture the rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock from the town of Lexington. However, thanks to American spies word got out throughout the countryside and the American militia rushed to stop the British. There were about 250 in the British army and 70 colonists in the town of Lexington. The colonists and British ended up in a confrontation where someone shot first, no one knows who. The British initially did well and were able to take the town of Lexington and started to march on the town of Concord but the colonists eventually forced them to withdraw with their use of guerilla tactics. The American colonists went on to surround the city of Boston. The Revolutionary War would last more than eight years and lead to the Colonists gaining independence from the British and becoming the United States.

Here are some items you can check out about the American Revolution from the DC Public Library.

• The American Revolution: A History
• 1776 by David McCullough
• A People's History of the American Revolution: How Common People Shaped the Fight for Independence by Ray Raphael
• Revolution song : a story of American freedom