What was the first major military action of the American Revolution, highlighted by America250 commemorations?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first major military actions of the American Revolution.

They took place on April 19, 1775, in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies, while Patriot riders and local militia spread warnings through the countryside. Fighting began at Lexington and continued along the road to Concord and back toward Boston.

At Concord’s North Bridge, colonial militia confronted British troops and forced them to withdraw. The British column suffered heavy losses during the retreat as additional militia members joined the fighting. The clashes helped transform political resistance into an armed revolution.

The event is often associated with Paul Revere’s midnight ride, although William Dawes and Samuel Prescott also helped spread the warning. The phrase “shot heard round the world” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s later poem, not from a contemporary battlefield report.