Which event is widely regarded as the opening battle of the American Revolutionary War?

The Battles of Lexington and Concord are widely regarded as the opening battles of the American Revolutionary War.

The fighting began on April 19, 1775, in Massachusetts. British troops marched from Boston toward Concord to seize military supplies, but colonial militia confronted them at Lexington. After a brief clash, the British continued to Concord, where colonial forces resisted them before the troops began their return to Boston.

Militia and local forces attacked the British column along the road, inflicting heavy casualties. The confrontation transformed political tension into open warfare between Great Britain and the American colonies. News of the fighting spread rapidly and encouraged colonial mobilization across New England.

The battles did not immediately create an independent United States. The Second Continental Congress later organized the Continental Army, and the conflict developed into a wider war. The Battle of Bunker Hill followed in June 1775, but Lexington and Concord are conventionally identified as the war’s opening military engagements.