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| The War for Independence Begins
In Boston, a group called the "Minutemen" was formed. It was a group of colonists who claimed that they could be armed and ready to fight at a minute's notice if British soldiers used force against the local population. On 19th April 1775, British soldiers were sent from Boston to seize a dump of arms which "Minutemen" had stored at Concord. Armed farmers stopped them at Lexington. There was a minor battle and the troops marched on to Concord to find that the arms had been destroyed. The countryside was in uproar. As the soldiers marched back to Boston they were continuously fired upon. War had begun. The colonies that had risen up against Britain were by no means united in their opposition to the mother country. As we have seen, some colonies were hostile to neighbouring colonies. Also, perhaps half the colonial population remained loyal to Britain. It was obvious that, if they were to succeed in the coming struggle, some kind of union would be necessary. ....
In Philadelphia, a Continental Congress met in May 1775. It claimed the authority over all the colonies and established the American Continental Army. The Virginian landowner and militia colonel, George Washington, who had fought the French in the Seven Years' War, was placed in command. |
© Shirley Burchill, Nigel Hughes, Richard Gale, Peter Price and Keith Woodall 2007 Footnote : As far as the Open Door team can ascertain the image shown on this page is in the Public Domain. |
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