How Did Freedom Cause The American Revolution

The belief of earning freedom was a motive that caused the American Revolution, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord bolstered the confidence and tentative independence of the colonies. The French and Indian War had laid groundwork for a revolt from the colonists, especially when the British marched to Concord to destroy the weapons stored there and capture two sons of Liberty. During 1775, the colonies began believing in their united power against Britain and started to rebel against the harsh taxing and laws that the British enforced. The British were ordered to reinforce these laws and keep the colonies opposition in check. Their ways were brutal: five years before was the Boston Massacre, in which 5 Bostonians were killed simply for
throwing stones at British troops. It was 1774 when the British placed the Intolerable Acts as retaliation for the Boston Tea act. The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts, 5 in all: the Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act. These acts only angered the colonies and made them more rebellious. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the next thing on the long list that led to the revolution. The colonists wanted to govern themselves and create their own laws and trading decrees. It was the belief of earning back the colonist’s rights that was the cause of the American Revolution, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord not only nurtured that belief but also proved that the colonies were powerful.
When General Gage sent his men led by Colonel Francis Smith to Concord, the British had plenty of supplies and ammunition to subdue the colonies(Miller 2003,1).
It was just in the midst of Spring, in April, when the order was carried out. The General placed Colonel Francis Smith in charge of the assignment. The mission: destroy the weapons and ammunition that were stored in Concord while capturing two of the Sons of Liberty (a group of men fighting for freedom) residing in Lexington (Miller 2003,1). Luckily for the colonists, the Sons of Liberty; John Hancock and Samuel Adams; were warned beforehand by Paul Revere and William Dawes, on Revere’s famous ‘Midnight Ride’. The minutemen of Concord (they were ready to fight in less than a minute), were awaiting the British’s arrival from their spies warnings(Selesky 2006, 2). With seven hundred-nine hundred men, including some grenadiers, the British marched a total of nighteen miles to Concord. When Colonel Smith arrived, seventy to seventy five men were awaiting them on the Lexington Green(US. HISTORY 1999, 2). “Stand your ground! Don’t fire unless fired upon. But if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”- Captain John Parker(Miller 2003, 1). They faced off. Then an unknown man fired a shot known as the ‘shot heard round the world’ because it signified the very start of the American Revolution (Selesky 2006, 3). It quickly escalated into a battle. The British left having wounded or killed a total of almost eighteen
colonists(French 2003, 1). Smith marched into Concord a around 8:00 in the morning, and the fight began(US. HISTORY 1999, 1). There was a fierce battle over the North Bridge, and the British took advantage of the colonist’s loss of backup. In their free time the British started to burn buildings and search for the hidden weapons(US. HISTORY 1999, 1). The British received backup from Hugh Earl Percy, but the colonies and their arriving troops advanced(Selesky 2006, 2). The colonists had managed to gain ground against the British as the British were in formation and on much wilder terrain then they were used to. The colonists fought back hard, finally forced the British to retreat. The British stumbled back to Boston while under constant fire from the colonists. A total of about three-hundred & sixtysix men were wounded and dead on both sides(French 2003, 2). In the end of the battle, the colonies proved much more powerful than the British expected.
These events in the Battle of Lexington and Concord proved to the colonists that they had a united power against the British and that it was possible for them to create their own laws under their own flag.
The very idea of freedom motivated the settlements greatly. In the years after 1775, the colonies were attacking and spying on the British bases and forts. The fierce battle was causing a war between the colonies and Britain. It was a revolution. As the colonies found their power, they fought hard. They allied with the French against the British. The power that the colonies found made them want more rights, laws, and separate decisions. They could only have this by having freedom, and so they needed a leader to be stay organized. The colonists were organized and had the advantage of knowing land and scattering their men instead of just putting them in the rows and columns which was the British style. Using as many advantages they could, and with spies and information, the colonies rebelled against the British and their ways of taxing. The battle had only just begun. During the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the British had more men, yet the colonists had secrecy and surprise. So the fact that the Colonists forced the British to retreat works to their advantage, because the British might doubt themselves. The belief of gaining freedom and rights was the cause of the American Revolution, and the Battle Of Lexington and Concord nourished the hope of freedom as well as
proving the powerful colonies possible impact in the world, especially in North America. The Battle of Concord and Lexington was a major boost for the thirteen colonies and their journey to freedom. Their unexpected win completely bolstered their confidence. The hope of achieving freedom and their own rights to the colonists was such a big idea at the time that it cause the Revolution. The Battle Of Lexington and Concord assisted the colonies in their climb for power. When Gage sent his men (ordered to destroy the weapons in Concord)to Lexington and Concord, the colonists were ready and managed to fight hard enough that they ‘won’. This major event; the Battle of Lexington and Concord; proved to the colonists that they had a united power against the British and that hey might be able to create their own laws under their own flag. If they fought hard enough and had enough organization, and if they had an amazing general who could step up and be a leader, they had a chance of living with rights for each family and freedom for each family from the British. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was an important setback on the British in U.S. History. It was on of the main causes of the American Revolution. The Battle of Lexington and Concord nourished the belief of power and freedom in the colonies and urged them to fight back against the brutal British so they could create their own nation under their own flag.