AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Lexington and Concord (Day 45/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of Lexington and Concord in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

Margaret Kemble Gage, Wikimedia Commons

In response to the First Continental Congress, Britain sent additional troops to Massachusetts. The colonists and British  had also begun spying on each other. Margaret Kemble Gage, the American wife of the British General Thomas Gage, may have given military intelligence to American rebels.

Routes of the British Expedition and the Patriot Messengers, Wikimedia Commons

Through this espionage, the British learned that the colonists were storing arms and ammunition in Concord. British General Gage ordered their seizure and several colonists sounded the alarm. British troops and colonial militia met on April 19, 1775 in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Battle of Lexington, Wikimedia Commons

With just 70 colonial militia members facing 700 trained British troops, American Captain John Parker ordered the dispersal of the militia after the firing of the “shot heard ‘round the world.”

Aftermath: Estimated Casualties, American Battlefield Trust

Just hours later in Concord, the forces met again. This time, hundreds of additional American militia forced British troops to retreat in defense. With British casualties outweighing American losses, this initial conflict provided a morale boost to Americans seeking independence.

The conflicts at Lexington and Concord marked the start of the armed conflict between the British and American colonists. It contributed to escalating tensions and increased calls for independence.

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Second Continental Congress in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!