Which 1775 battles opened the American Revolutionary War remembered by America250?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord opened the American Revolutionary War remembered by America250.

The battles took place on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies, while Patriot leaders mobilized local militia. Fighting began at Lexington and continued through Concord and several nearby communities as the British column returned to Boston.

The engagement followed growing tensions over taxation, parliamentary control, and military occupation. Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott helped warn communities that British troops were moving toward the countryside. At Concord’s Old North Bridge, colonial militia confronted British soldiers in a larger clash.

The fighting is often described as the first battle of the Revolution, although the opening encounter at Lexington was a brief skirmish and the day included several separate engagements. The phrase “shot heard round the world” became associated with the conflict through Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1837 poem “Concord Hymn.” The battles began the Siege of Boston.