A Series of Rebellions Part III

Recap

In the previous post we discussed a second series of rebellions that lead us further to finding our independence.

With the British imposing more taxes to bail out The British East India Company, the Colonists has their fill of British impositions. In response, the infamous Boston Tea Party took place with around 46 tons of tea being dumped into the Boston Harbor.

In response, the British created even more acts. But these acts, later called the Intolerable Acts, were different as they were meant to dismantle the Massachusetts government.

Along with the usual protests and outrage, the Colonists held the First Continental Congress. With representatives from all colonies (except Georgia), this was the first time the colonies grouped together to address the Monarch as a nation. Together, they notable wrote the Declaration of Resolves and set a precedent of no tolerance to unfair British practices.

Of course, the British ignored their responses and demands, but with the establishment of The Continental Association during the First Continental Congress, a promise was made to reconvene if needed, and the Colonists were prepared for further action.

A Series of Rebellions Part II

A Series of Rebellions Part I

The British Were Coming

With Thomas Gage royally appointed as governor of Massachusetts in April 1774, new legislation and acts being passed to further restrict colonial independence and tensions ever growing between the colonies, a boiling point was closer than ever.

To address the Intolerable Acts, the First Continental Congress established the Continental Association. The Association was created to ensure boycotts and protests against the acts were carried out against the British.

To protest against British taxes, the Colonists smuggled their own goods. Everything from food to weapons were snuck in if they weren’t created domestically (even then possibly created with smuggled goods).

Remember, the Colonists smuggled all types of goods after they were bought from other countries (Dutch, French, etc.) because they did not want Britain to benefit off them. The restrictions were in place so those in America were only allowed to trade with Britain. If the colonies were trading with other nations, their money was not going to the British. With taxes and increasing dictation and restrictions, the Colonists wanted to do anything other than give Britain money.

Along with smuggling and domestic manufacturing, the Colonists stockpiled goods. Specifically, weapons.

It’s been thoroughly established that tensions were on a consistent rise, and with conflicts between the Brits and Colonists having finally reaches a fatal status, both entities made sure they were armed.

In April of 1775, the British received word that the Colonists has a large stock pile of weaponry in Concord, Massachusetts. Of course, they thought it was best to retrieve it.

Luckily, the Sons of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence were continuously monitoring British movement. Receiving word, he Sons Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott, were sent to ride and alert the cities of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts to warn the Colonists that the British were coming.

The Shot Heard Around The World

Marching from Boston to Concord, the British were watched the entire time as the Lexington and Concord militias prepared.

As the ~700 British arrives, around 80 Lexington Minuteman (what militiamen were commonly referred to) were gathered in the center of town at the Lexington Green.

As the two sides face each other, the British ordered the Minuteman to leave. Realizing they were grossly outnumbered, some began retreating. While some colonists were intimidates, others were reluctant, but nothing significant occurred as the British initially ordered their surrender.

Until an unknown shot was fired. After this shot, open fire began, killing 8 and injuring 10.

That single beginning shot is known as “the shot heard around the world.” This marker the beginning of the American Revolution and was the opening of the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

The Battle of Lexington and Concord

The shot heard around the world and the open fire after was the mark of the beginning of the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

After the initial firing on the Lexington Green, the remaining Minutemen scattered, The British continued their march toward Concord, still with the intent to destroy weapons and supplies stored there. Along the way, more Colonists gathered, using guerrilla tactics: firing behind stone walls, trees, fences, etc.. They engages in nonstop harassing toward the British as they moved.

As open fire and casualties began, more and more militiamen joined the Colonists already station in Concord and turned the original ~80 to ~400 as they marches to and from Concord.

The British, led my Major John Pitcairn, outnumbered the Colonists with about 700 troops, but they were utterly taken back by the sudden growth in resistance.

The now hundreds of Colonists were made up from local and were led by various captains, including Captain John Parker at Lexington, who worked to maintain order. This was the largest gathering of Minuteman in Colonial America’s history up to this point, so maintaining order between the gathered men was a brand new task.

At Concord, the 400-500 Minutemen confronted the Brits at the North Bridge. The Colonists returned fire, killing several British soldiers and forcing them to retreat back toward Boston. The retreat turned into a running battle, as hundreds of militiamen from the surrounding areas joined the fight to continuously ambush and fire toward the British along the road.

By the time the British reached Boston, their casualties were significant. There was an estimated 73 killed, 175 wounded, and 26 missing, while the Colonial estimate was only 49 killed and 39 wounded.

The Battle of Lexington and Concord demonstrated that the Colonists could stand up and face British force.

This battle marked the start of the American Revolution and directly led to the promised reconvening – the Second Continental Congress,

What Wasn’t Mentioned

While this post provides a simplified breakdown of the key events, it does not cover every detail or perspective in this period of colonial resistance. Many specific debates, local responses, and political developments were not fully explored due to the effort to include multiple events in a digestible post.

For example, the role of lesser-known colonial committees, the influence of local militia training, internal disagreements among colonial leaders, and the varying levels of support for resistance across different colonies were not discussed in depth.

Additionally, the economic pressures on merchants, the diplomatic efforts occurring behind the scenes, and the full scope of British parliamentary reactions extend far beyond the scope of this overview.

This is meant to acknowledge that the lead-up to the Revolution was complex, layered, and filled with smaller developments that, while not mentioned here, played important roles in shaping the path toward independence.

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The Second Continental Congress

Timeline of the American Revolution

How Topics Work

Resources

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/shot-heard-round-world

https://www.ushistory.org/us/7d.asp?srsltid=AfmBOooW9u4bYzUAhiKztLfJwtV_Ck8RdHqEYSQu7CuVsfRjnnMe60ti