The Struggle for American Independence: Lexington and Concord

In this episode, I cover the Battles of Lexington and Concord, truly the first military excursions in the patriot struggle for independence. Although Thomas Gage hoped not to provoke an aggressive response from patriot forces, he still attempted to shrewdly act seize military supplies and powder that had been secured in storage locations by the Massachusetts Provincial Congress. I first articulate how the Powder Alarm incident of 1774 served as a precursor to the intelligence network that would be used to mobilize militia forces in and around Boston, then cover the events leading up to and including the clashes at Lexington and Concord. In so many ways, Lexington and Concord proved that the colonists and British had passed the point of no return.

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Recommended Readings

-Gordon Wood, The American Revolution: A History

-Mercy Otis Warren, The Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution

-Murray Rothbard, Conceived in Liberty

 

Tenth Amendment Center

The Tenth Amendment Center is a national think tank that works to preserve and protect the principles of strictly limited government through information, education, and activism. The center serves as a forum for the study and exploration of state and individual sovereignty issues, focusing primarily on the decentralization of federal government power as required by the Constitution. For more information visit the Tenth Amendment Center Blog.