The Battles of Lexington and Concord are traditionally regarded as the opening engagements of the American Revolution commemorated by America250.
The battles took place in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies, and armed colonists confronted them first at Lexington and then at Concord.
The fighting spread along the road back to Boston, where colonial militia repeatedly attacked the retreating British soldiers. The clashes transformed a political dispute into an open war between the colonies and Britain.
The battles occurred before the Declaration of Independence and therefore were not battles for an already declared United States. The Declaration followed in 1776, while the Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the war.