April 3, 2025
by Grace Kostrzebski
April 19, 1775 marked a turning point in American history: the “shot heard around the world” at the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Tensions between the British authorities and American colonists had been brewing behind the scenes for some time – with moments of violence like the Boston Massacre or Boston Tea Party appearing briefly in the public when confrontations turned from rhetoric into action. Lexington and Concord were the first major military conflicts between the British army and an organized American military force. It was no longer possible to deny that the American colonies were now in open, bloody rebellion.
Leading up to the conflict, the colonies asked for representation that was able to have a vote in new governmental policies, but they were continuously denied a voice in the British Parliament. Other grievances such as the perceived abandonment of the colonists to deal with Native American groups alone informed a growing hatred of British authority. According to a leading Virginia newspaper, “…neither the prince nor the people of England thought themselves much interested…” in the colonies (The Virginia Gazette, April 15, 1775). Following the battles at Lexington and Concord, an account where the British soldiers reportedly “…killed the woman… and all the children, and set fire to the house [in Lexington]… they proceeded on their way to Concord, firing at, and killing… every thing that came in their way, and burning houses” was published many times (The Pennsylvania Ledger, April 29, 1775). The American newspapers did not hold back in showcasing the deplorable actions of the British. Nearly all American newspapers treated the British with disdain leading up to April 19 and continued after the battles.
British newspapers, of course, tell a different story. Some British citizens in letters to newspapers called for violence; others either sympathized with American colonists or looked on with pity. On April 5, one Londoner wrote “the stubborn Americans must be humbled,” calling for an increased military presence in the colonies (The Public Advertiser, April 5, 1775). Following the battles of Lexington and Concord, some letters to British newspapers called for sympathy and fair American representation to stop the civil war before it fully started. Others called for total warfare. One Londoner wrote “… the Americans are consequently justified in their resistance” when analyzing the lack of representation in Parliament and the violence experienced at the hands of British soldiers (The Public Advertiser, April 28, 1775). Others disagreed vehemently, writing “It therefore can be no doubt but these head-strong Americans will be brought to reason, and… our Generals will overcome all obstacles. The first ship… will bring the Accounts of Submission” (The Public Advertiser, April 26, 1775).
Reviewing primary sources such as newspapers illustrate the complexities and contradictions of American revolutionary history. The Virginia Gazette, which included the tagline, “Always for Liberty and the Publick [sic] Good,” published an extensive report in the May 5, 1775 issue about the confrontations between American and English forces in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The same issue of the newspaper included numerous advertisements about slaves and servants. An advertisement posted by John West stated that a “very likely Virginia born negro man, named Mike” had runaway two months earlier from King William County, elaborating with “I forewarn all msters of vessels from carrying him out of the colony. Whoever brings the said negro to me shall have a 3 l. reward, besides what the law allows, and if taken out of the colony 10 1.” An advertisement placed by Archibald McCall listed for sale “an exceeding likely young negro man, who is a very good house servant, understands taking care of horses, and a tolerable good cook.” The fact that these notices were published alongside advertisements for runaway horses and the sale of farmland is an important reminder that in this revolutionary era, enslaved people were viewed not as human beings with rights; rather, they were seen as property belonging to owners for the lifetime of the slaves and their descendents.
Lexington and Concord was a watershed moment in American history. Reviewing primary sources at the time of Lexington and Concord reveals the contradictory debates about rights and equality that shaped this revolutionary era on both sides of the Atlantic. As illustrated in the podcast episodes for the Bike 76 VA project, reading primary sources is the best way to engage with the complexity of the past in order to fully appreciate the importance and relevance of historical questions as we approach the nation’s semiquincentennial commemorations.
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