Lexington, Concord and the Move toward Independence: 1775 Explained

Lexington and Concord began open fighting in April 1775, but independence was not yet Congress’s declared aim. For CLEP U.S. History I, connect the military expedition and militia response with the siege of Boston, the Continental Army and continued petitioning. Compare conflicting battle accounts without assuming that every participant already wanted separation.

U.S. History to 1877 | Chapter 6 | Lesson 6.1

What Happened at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775?

By early 1775, Massachusetts patriots had formed committees, stored military supplies, and trained militia. General Thomas Gage sent British troops toward Concord to seize and destroy military supplies. Fighting at Lexington on April 19 left militiamen dead. At Concord and along the return to Boston, militia inflicted serious losses. Who fired first at Lexington remains uncertain, but the political result was clear: bloodshed turned a constitutional dispute into open war.

Why Did Congress Organize an Army and Still Petition?

Militia forces surrounded Boston, and the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. It created a Continental Army and appointed George Washington commander, giving the New England fighting a continental symbol. At the same time, Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition professing loyalty and seeking peace. This apparent contradiction reflected divided expectations. Delegates could prepare defense while hoping the king would restrain Parliament.

How Did Bunker Hill and Royal Policy Escalate the Crisis?

The Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, fought mainly on Breed’s Hill, ended in British occupation of the position but heavy British casualties. It showed that inexperienced colonial forces could impose great cost. King George III declared the colonies in rebellion and refused the Olive Branch approach. British plans to use force, including hiring German troops, further weakened attachment to monarchy.

Why Was the Move toward Independence a Process?

Independence emerged through escalation, not a single awakening. Local committees displaced royal authority. Warfare demanded money and alliances. And royal rejection narrowed compromise. Yet Loyalism remained substantial and many people tried to avoid either side. The historian should explain why possibilities closed without reading July 1776 backward into April 1775.

Review Lexington, Concord and the Independence Debate

PBS offers a visual route through this topic. As you watch, compare its explanation with the source limits in the written lesson.

Video: The Shot Heard ’Round the World: Lexington, Concord and the Start of War | The American Revolution, PBS.

Check your understanding

British troops marched toward Concord primarily to
1. arrest Patriot leaders believed to be meeting in Lexington
2. collect customs revenue withheld by Boston merchants
3. locate and destroy military stores gathered by the Massachusetts militia
4. reopen Boston’s port under a colonial customs board
5. negotiate militia disarmament under local supervision
The Olive Branch Petition demonstrates that
1. reconciliation still had supporters
2. Congress had already made independence its official aim
3. military mobilization ended before the petition
4. George III accepted Congress as a lawful legislature
5. armed conflict had not yet begun
Select all that apply. Escalation included
1. militia mobilization
2. Continental Army formation
3. unanimous Loyalist support
4. local committee rule
5. royal rejection
Explain why military preparation and a peace petition were not necessarily contradictory in 1775.
Write a brief response using a named fact from the lesson.

Open the answers and reasoning

H1-6.1-MC1. Choice C is correct. General Gage sent the expedition to locate and destroy military supplies gathered at Concord. A identifies Patriot leaders whom British officers also hoped to detain, but it does not state the column’s primary objective at Concord. B substitutes customs collection for a military raid. D gives control of Boston’s port back to colonists, and E turns an attempt at disarmament into a negotiated local process.

H1-6.1-MC2. Choice A is correct. The petition shows that some delegates still sought reconciliation amid fighting. B overstates consensus for independence. C is false because Congress had organized an army. D never occurred. E ignores Lexington and Concord.

H1-6.1-SA. Choices A, B, D, and E are correct. Militia action, army formation, committee government, and royal rejection escalated the crisis. C is excluded because Loyalists did not unanimously support escalation.

H1-6.1-OR. Minimum complete: explain that military preparation defended colonial bargaining power or communities while petitioning preserved a possible constitutional settlement. Place both in 1775 before independence became the official aim.

Compare Accounts without Collapsing Time and Place

The American Battlefield Trust reproduces the British-side A Circumstantial Account. It describes orders concerning military stores and presents the troops’ actions as responses to colonial firing. That attribution is part of the account’s argument. The National Archives’ guide to the colonial depositions explains that the Massachusetts Provincial Congress collected testimony for transmission to England. Both the account and the testimony had audiences beyond the battlefield. Identifying that purpose helps you question their claims without treating all details as equally uncertain.

Use the National Park Service’s primary-source comparison to distinguish orders, observations and locations. Gage’s order describes the expedition’s objective. John Barker’s diary gives a British soldier’s account at Lexington, while James Barrett’s statement concerns Concord’s North Bridge. They are not descriptions of one exchange of fire. An order also tells you what a commander directed, not proof that every soldier complied. A careful response can establish the raid and escalation while leaving the identity of Lexington’s first shooter unresolved.

Next, read the petition to the king in the July 8 congressional proceedings. Its professions of loyalty and request for royal intervention show that Congress still presented a route to reconciliation after bloodshed. The date on this entry concerns the engrossed petition’s comparison and signing; distinguish that stage from the petition’s earlier approval. Its political language does not reveal every delegate’s private expectations or every colonist’s position.

Compare that appeal with the July 6 Declaration on Taking Arms. The page includes drafts as well as a section explicitly marked final form: use the final text for Congress’s adopted position. It justifies resistance yet denies that the army was raised to establish independent states. For the official CLEP U.S. History I scope, place each statement in its moment. Defending rights by force and seeking an imperial settlement could coexist in 1775, even though later developments made separation Congress’s policy.

Independent preparation. CLEP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which does not endorse this lesson.

Lexington, Concord and the Move toward Independence: 1775 Explained

What Happened at Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775?

Why Did Congress Organize an Army and Still Petition?

How Did Bunker Hill and Royal Policy Escalate the Crisis?

Why Was the Move toward Independence a Process?

Review Lexington, Concord and the Independence Debate

Check your understanding

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Lexington, Concord and the Move toward Independence: 1775 Explained

Why Did Congress Organize an Army and Still Petition?

How Did Bunker Hill and Royal Policy Escalate the Crisis?

Why Was the Move toward Independence a Process?

Review Lexington, Concord and the Independence Debate

Check your understanding

Effortless Math Team

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