During the time of the American Revolution, it comes to no surprise that those that hoped for war would not be the first to step onto the battlefield. The fact that the colonists were not eager to start a war hardly makes them reluctant. For the people of Concord, there were too many other factors in their lives that took precedence over the trials and tribulations that America was having with England. Most members of Concord's population were concerned with the town's religion, taxes, local government and other matters that were centralized around their town. Historians often see the people of Concord as being "reluctant revolutionaries" since most citizens showed little concern. Their lack of concern can be accounted for by noticing Concord's distance from other cities, its lack of conflict with Britain, and its undying focus on local matters. Regardless of these skeptics, when the moment of truth came, the people of Concord fought for the colonies.
For years it seemed as if Concord was not at all concerned with the acts and taxes that England imposed on the colonies. As most taxes and laws came and went, Concord stayed quite stable. The people rarely gave much thought to the matters. They relied on their elected representatives to act on his best judgment for their behalf. This system seemed to work for the betterment of the town of Concord, in that it allowed the people to focus on finely tuning their own government. Although Concord's government was centered around having the richer, high-end citizens as their representatives, they were not against democracy. Elections were held every year, and most adult males qualified to vote. Much like representatives of today, they are elected to do what they thought was best. The citizens of Concord did not constantly look over the shoulders of their representatives. When everyone did feel strongly about a subject, such as the Stamp Act, the town "departed from custom and directed its representative's vote.
Awaiting their arrival of the redcoats were the minutemen. There were about 70 minutemen. ... After defeating the minutemen at Lexington the redcoats headed to Concord. ... On a bridge just outside of Concord, some 300 minutemen who were all ready to fight met the redcoats. ... Soon they retreated but as they drew away from the battle the minutemen were prepared. ...
This is a glimpse of what it was like to live during the colonial period in Concord Massachusetts, the starting point of the Revolutionary War in Robert Gross's book The Minutemen and Their World. ... I found the everyday life of the minutemen intriguing. ...
It took place on April 19, 1775, and was fought between roughly 70 colonial minutemen commanded by Captain John Parker, and about 700 British soldiers. ... Gunfire was exchanged and eight Americans were killed before the minutemen retreated. ... When the British finally arrived in Concord, 800 redcoats went with Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith to search for the concealed weapons, while the 150 minutemen positioned themselves on the other side of the North Bridge. ... The minutemen and redcoats exchanged fire across the North Bridge for a few minutes, causing several deaths. ...
During the Revolutionary War the militia played a major role in the out come. Some people think that the militia hindered more than helped during the war. In this essay I will describe the hardships the Militia faced, how they became organized and why I believe that they helped during the war. ...
Lexington and Concord The Revolutionary war in 1775 started because of the events that had taken place in one night. Tension had been growing between the American colonies and their mother country, Britain, ever since the French and Indian War in 1763. Because of this, the colonies started dri...
Warning given to Mass. militia (minutemen: could be ready to fight in a minute.) ... British soldiers are stopped by colonial minutemen at Lexington (Shot Heard "Round the World). 7. ... The British were stopped at Concord by the colonial minutemen. 10. ...
Grenville persuaded Parliament to pass the Stamp Act of 1765. The act placed new duties on legal documents such as wills, diplomats, and marriage papers. All items named in the law had to carry a stamp showing that the tax had been paid. In May 1767, Parliament reopened the debate over taxing t...
