Which event began the American Revolutionary War, a conflict remembered in America's 250th-anniversary history?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord began the American Revolutionary War, a conflict remembered in America's 250th-anniversary history.

The fighting took place in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies, but colonial militia members confronted them first at Lexington. The British continued to Concord, where fighting at the Old North Bridge forced them to withdraw toward Boston.

These were the first major military actions between British forces and Patriot militia from the thirteen colonies. The day transformed a political crisis into an open war. Colonial resistance spread rapidly, and the Second Continental Congress soon organized the Continental Army.

The Boston Tea Party occurred earlier, in 1773, and helped intensify tensions but was not a battle. Bunker Hill followed in June 1775, while Saratoga became a major American victory in 1777. Thus, Lexington and Concord—not those later events—mark the war's opening military clash.