Battles of Lexington and Concord

Discover the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the start of the American Revolution!

The Battle of Lexington and Concord Watch the short video and then answer the questions. 1. Why were General Thomas Gage and British troops sent to Concord? To arrest Benjamin Franklin To take away weapons of the Massachusetts militia and arrest their leaders To quarter their soldiers 2. The colonist already knew their weapons and supplies were in jeopardyand had moved them to other secret locations before the arrival of the Redcoats. What does the word jeopardy mean? threatened safe destroyed damaged 3. Who warned the militias in Lexington and Concord about the arrival of the British troops? Thomas Gage William Dawes and Paul Revere Paul Revere and John Adams 4. Who fired the first shot at Lexington? No one knows A spectator The British The colonists King George III would not allow the colonies to become an independent nation without a fight. In 1775, the colonies gave them the fight Great Britain was looking for! The first conflicts of the American Revolution took place in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1775. British troops deployed to Lexington and Concord in the early morning hours. They were looking to arrest Sons of Liberty leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock, who were staying in Lexington, then the troops were to march to Concord to find and capture an arsenal, or storehouse, of weapons the colonists had stockpiled. The Sons of Liberty had been warned of an impending attack, and Paul Revere awaited the signal to show the British troops were on their way. Seeing two lanterns in the Old North Church, Revere and others set out from Boston to warn their fellow colonists the British were coming. Due to the advanced warning, Minutemen, colonists ready to fight in a minute’s notice, were armed, ready, and waiting for the British when they arrived in Lexington. While no one knows exactly who fired first, the result was eight dead American patriots and the British were unsuccessful in capturing Adams and Hancock. The British troops then marched on to Concord, only to discover the weapons they had been looking for had been moved! Shots rang out again and the colonists forced the British to retreat to Boston. As they retreated, Minutemen continued to attack them from hidden spots along the path. Known as “the shot heard ‘round the world,” these conflicts marked the start of the American Revolution. The colonists showed the British that untrained Minutemen could put up a good fight and were not going to back down in their quest for independence.Marsh, C. (2019). 6th grade social studies student workbook. Gallopade.