Which 1775 battles traditionally mark the start of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord traditionally mark the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Fighting took place on April 19, 1775, in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy, and Cambridge. British troops marched from Boston to seize colonial military supplies, while colonial militia mobilized to oppose them. The opening clash occurred at Lexington Green, followed by the larger engagement at Concord’s North Bridge and the British retreat.

The battles followed years of disputes over taxation, representation, military occupation, and imperial authority. They did not immediately produce a declaration of independence; that came more than a year later, on July 4, 1776.

The phrase “shot heard round the world” is associated with the opening fighting, especially through Ralph Waldo Emerson’s later poem. The expression is literary rather than a precise report of one identifiable gunshot.