Which battle is commonly regarded as the first battle of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are commonly regarded as the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.

The fighting began on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize colonial military supplies. Colonial militia confronted them at Lexington, and fighting continued as the British force withdrew through Concord and nearby towns.

The clash followed years of disputes over taxation, representation, imperial authority, and military occupation. The “shot heard round the world” phrase later captured the event’s symbolic importance, although the exact first shot remains uncertain.

The battles transformed political resistance into open warfare. Colonial forces soon surrounded Boston, and the Second Continental Congress began coordinating the colonies’ military response. More than a year later, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, but the armed conflict had already begun.