1. Essential Question
What series of events led to the official beginning of the American Revolution?

2. The Revolution Begins
Ch 6 Sec 3 Pt II

3. Colonists Prepare to Fight
By 1774, colonists were preparing for potential armed conflict w/ the British
Most colonial leaders, though, believed war w/ Britain would be a disaster
The colonies had no standing army or navy
Britain, on the other hand, had:
A highly-trained & experienced army
The World’s largest & most powerful navy

4. The British “Attack”
General Thomas Gage was the British Governor of MA in 1775.
Gage received information that the MA militia was storing arms & ammunition in Concord (about 20 miles NW of Boston)
It was also known that Sam Adams & John Hancock were staying in nearby Lexington
On the night of April 18, 1775, Gage ordered his troops to march out of Boston:
1. Arrest Adams & Hancock
2. Destroy the militia’s supplies in
Concord

5. Summary/Test Question
Why did British troops march from Boston into the countryside in April 1775?
To break up the First Continental Congress
To capture Paul Revere
To recover cannons that rebel colonists had captured
To arrest Patriot leaders and destroy militia supplies

6. The Midnight Ride
The Sons of Liberty were prepared for this British advance
Messengers were stationed around Boston in order to alert the militia if the British moved out of Boston
Paul Revere and William Dawes were charged with riding out from Boston to sound an alarm
Revere had arranged a system of signals to alert colonists across the harbor of British troop movement

7. New Arrives in Concord
The signal was placed in the steeple of the Old North Church:
1 lantern burning meant British troops were taking the land route
2 lanterns burning meant they were leaving Boston by water
When the British moved, so did Revere & Dawes
They rode through the night spreading the news
In Lexington, they were joined by Dr. Samuel Prescott
When Revere & Dawes were stopped by a British patrol, Prescott broke away and took the news to Concord

8. Lexington & Concord
At dawn on Apr.19, 1775, more than 700 British troops had reached Lexington
70 colonial militiamen met them on the town green
Colonists were told to drop their muskets, but refused
Suddenly a shot rang out, & within minutes 8 militiamen were dead
The British then marched on to Concord where a major engagement broke out

9. Minutemen
Over 4,000 minutemen arrived in the area within hours of the first shot at Lexington
These militiamen were trained to fight “at a minute’s notice”
At Concord, they forced the British to retreat
Then, using the stone walls that lined the road for cover, they harassed the British all the way back to Boston
Soon after the battles at Lexington & Concord ended, both sides realized that a revolution in the colonies had officially begun