A sketch depicting the American Revolution
Since 1775, the area that is now the eastern part of the United States mainly
consisted of British colonies controlled by the United Kingdom. The American
Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was a major
step in the independence of the United States. The first battles in this war
were fought in the areas of Lexington and Concord, near Boston, Massachusetts,
on April 19, 1775. For this reason, the third Monday in April is symbolic for
the emerging independence of the new country.
On April 19, 1775, British and American soldiers exchanged fire in the Massachusetts
towns of Lexington and Concord. On the night of April 18, the royal governor
of Massachusetts, General Thomas Gage, commanded by King George III to suppress
the rebellious Americans, had ordered 700 British soldiers, under Lieutenant
Colonel Francis Smith and Marine Major John Pitcairn, to seize the colonists'
military stores in Concord, some 20 miles west of Boston.
General Thomas Gage
A system of signals and word-of-mouth communication set up by the colonists
was effective in forewarning American volunteer militia men of the approach
of the British troops. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Paul Revere's
Ride" tells how a lantern was displayed in the steeple of Christ Church
on the night of April 18, 1775 as a signal to Paul Revere and others.
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex, village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm.
North Bridge in Concord
At Lexington Green, the British were met by 77 American Minute Men led by John
Parker. At the North Bridge in Concord, the British were confronted again, this
time by 300 to 400 armed colonists, and were forced to march back to Boston
with the Americans firing on them all the way. By the end of the day, the colonists
were singing "Yankee Doodle" and the American Revolution had begun.
An act to amend the Tennessee code regarding Patriot’s Day took effect
in 2008. The state’s code now officially includes the holiday and mentions
that its governor proclaims April 19 of each year as Patriot’s Day. This
day is still not a public holiday in Tennessee. Patriots' Day is also known
as Patriot's Day and Patriots Day. However, it should not be confused with Patriot
Day, held on September 11 to mark the anniversary of terrorist attacks in the
United States on that date in 2001.
