Sunday Nights Radio: Lexington & Concord - No Irregular Mob

On this episode we looked at the conditions that led up to the Battles of Lexington & Concord as we celebrate their 250th Anniversary. And as always, we had some good tunes to go along with our deep dive into history.

It struck me that while we celebrate July when the Continental Congress officially declared our independence and embarked on a new experiment in liberty, we rarely talk about the developments in April, 1775, and what were the events that contributed to triggering the fighting between colonists and the imperial British. That month is what sparked the War for Independence, but in a sense the American Revolution was occurring far longer, and the resolution to seek freedom was solidified far earlier in the colonists minds. Should we be more familiar with those circumstances perhaps we would draw better analogies to what is transpiring today, and be less enamored with our sophistication and more concerned that we don’t understand what we have lost. And what strength we had.

In April 1775, General Thomas Gage sought to pre-empt any violence that may be carried out by the colonial militia gaining numbers in Massachusetts. His plan was to seize gun powder rumored to be harbored in Lexington and Concord. April 18th was the night Paul Revere and William Dawes road the country side alerting the colonists of the 800 British troops. Tensions were already high due to rumors of raids on villages, destruction of property and due in great part to the Writs of Assistance that left colonists to warrantless searches. Fighting broke out in Lexington when the British met the militia led by Captain John Parker. It was the shot heard round the world, as the colonial assertion of their right of self defense when faced with tyranny compelled the British to regain control.

Articles Referenced In This Episode