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DIRECTIONS: Read the historical background and view each document. Answer the questions that follow the document on the Answer Sheet.

THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD APRIL 19,1775

Battle of Lexington

Historical Background:

Anticipating war, the citizens of Massachusetts began to organize themselves into an army, or militia. They called themselves the Minutemen, since they stood ready for action at a minute’s notice. General Gage, the British military governor of Massachusetts, sent troops to capture the rebel ringleaders, John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were rumored to be in Lexington, and seize the stores of ammunition and weapons hidden in Concord.
    The colonials, however, learned of Gage’s plans. Two Patriots, Paul Revere and William Dawes, rode through the night and warned the countryside of the oncoming British. (Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ) When the British troops arrived at Lexington, the local Minutemen met them. In an exchange of shots, 18 colonials were killed or wounded. The British proceed to Concord, and another skirmish took place. As the English marched back to their base in Boston, the aroused colonials, hiding behind houses, trees, and stone walls, poured a steady fire into the redcoats. Almost 4,000 Americans participated in the action of the day. The British suffered 273 casualties, the colonials 93.
In March 1775, just before the outbreak of hostilities in Massachusetts, Patrick Henry delivered a speech urging that Virginia prepare for war with England. He closed with,

 “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"  

Outbreak of the Revolution

Paul Revere's Ride, 1775

1.     Who were the Minutemen and how did they get that name?

2.     Where were the first shots fired that began the American Revolution?

3.     Why did the British send troops to Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts?

4.     Why did the British lose so many more men than the Americans?