In the first light of April 19, 1775, the soft soil of the green village of Lexington, Massachusetts was soaked in the blood of farmers, fathers and Freemen. These men, although normal at the station, were spiritually extraordinary, were not rebellions, but were already standing shoulder to shoulder to protect theirs: the right to govern themselves, maintain what they earned, and live without the yoke of distant tyranny. The furious battle that continued along their positions and the path to Concord that morning did not occur in a vacuum. These were not rebels. These were determined citizens who, as John Adams said, believed, “freedom must be put in all danger.”
It wasn't a skirmish between colonial irregularities and redcoats that began at Lexington Green and exploded at Concord Bridge. It was an explosion of principles that have long been blessed in the hearts of British Americans, and the principles rooted in Magna Carta were refined in the British civil war and are now reborn with the Muskets of New England.
Remember the exact cause of the conflict. General Thomas Gage, a Massachusetts military governor and crown agent, grabbed and ordered his men to march to Concord to destroy the colony's ammunition. This law, this bold infringement, was not merely a humiliation against private property. It was a direct attack on the right to maintain and endure the weapon. Colonialists were understood not as privileges released by Congress but as God-given assurances essential to the preservation of freedom.
So, as Paul Revere and William Daws walked through the countryside on that fateful night, they weren't screaming for a rebellion. They were ringing the bell of duty – urging citizens to launch and defend the sacred soil of their homes, their rights, and their descendants.
Lexington: First Stand
The air in Lexington Green was chilled by the dew of spring and the breath of an uneasy man. Captain John Parker, a former war veteran, gathered Militiamen and was well aware of the odds. “Stay on your ground,” he ordered. “Don't fire unless you're fired. But if they're going to go to war, then let's start here.”
And it started.
No one knows who fired the first shot. Some say it was a coincidence. Others claim it was intentional. What's certain is that within minutes, eight Americans had died and ten more injured. None of them fired a single shot in return.
These men were not soldiers in the European sense. They were not uniformed, received no pay, and had no ambitions for conquest. They were farmers, blacksmiths, school teachers and shopkeepers. But they were also men who read the Bible and the Blackstone, and were taught that tyranny, whether by the king or in Parliament, was to resist all vitality and virtue.
Concord: Counterblow
If Lexington was a tragedy, Concord was a turning point.
A storm was brewing behind them as the British marched towards their goals. The countryside was awake. The alarm reached farms, fields and villages. The militia – Minutemen – poured towards Concord like streams feeding the mighty river.
At Northbridge, colonial militia gathered under the command of Major John Buttrick. When the British were first fired, Batrick cried out, “For the sake of fire, for the sake of my fellow soldiers, for God, fire, fire!” The subsequent American volleys were not merely a response to military provocation. It was a declaration, a rebellious position that echoed around the world.
It was here that the British were first turned back. This is when the invincible myth of Red Coat was crushed. Here, the cause of America's independence was to find the first victory.
When the British began retreating, the countryside erupted in righteous rage. All the rock walls and trees were reddened. The settlers harassed the soldiers who had retreated in relentless, disciplined rage.
The spirit behind steel
What makes these battles more than mere military history is the spirit of animating resistance.
These men were not driven by bloodlasts or ambitions. They didn't want war. In fact, many still wanted a reconciliation. But they were reading the works of Algernon Sidney and John Locke. They knew that once surrendered, freedom rarely was recovered without sacrifice.
They also knew that weapons in the hands of people were not merely tools of defense, but symbols of sovereignty. They knew that the right to lay weapons was a check on tyranny. Gauge's order to confiscate their weapons was not an act of defence by the crown. It was the first move in the campaign of conquest.
Let's be clear. The British march in Concord was not about managing crime or maintaining peace. It was a strategic move to disarm a population known to value freedom over its comfort. The settlers understood that without their arms it was impossible to resist. And without resistance, tyranny was inevitable.
Our Time Lessons
Today, many people looked back at Lexington and Concord, a kind of isolated respect, and couldn't see their connection. However, the similarities between then and now are so sharp that it cannot be ignored.
Then there were powerful people like they do now, trying to restrict access to weapons by pretending to be order and security. Then, as it is now, the ruling elite viewed people's claims about rights as dangerous and destructive. Then, as we do now, there was a struggle between the central authorities and local autonomy.
The Minuteman of 1775 knew what we had to regain. Autonomy begins with self-defense. Those who cannot protect their homes are those who have already been spiritually conquered. The natural right to maintain and endure weapons is the cornerstone of all other rights.
Patrick Henry once asked, “Shall we acquire an effective means of resistance by lying on his back and embracing the illusion of hope?” The men of Lexington and Concord answered their lives. we?
Blood as a species
Lexington Green and Concord Bridge were not bleeding. It was a seed – watering the tears, nourishing them by sacrifice, expedited by the spirit of freedom.
From the first patriots, they grew a tree of freedom whose roots spread across the continent. It paid off to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and every soul that dared to say, “We will be free.”
We owe them more than we remember. I borrow emulation from them.
The force of local resistance
What Lexington and Concord clearly show is the power of local action. Resistance against tyranny did not begin with a vote in Philadelphia. It began with town meetings, local militias and careful citizens. It began when free people stopped waiting for permission and began acting on principles.
The settlers did not wait for the central authorities to defend their rights. They took the initiative. They sorted it out. They trained. They acted.
This is the true essence of federalism, as understood. The real power is that it is not in the far-off capital, but in the people and their communities. It is the states and ultimately the counties and towns that must protect the flame of freedom.
Let's realize we are worth it
In an age of creeping centralization and coordinated campaigns that disarm and demoralize the American people, we must ask ourselves: Are we heirs to Lexington and Concord? Or are we satisfied that we are subjects?
Let us be worthy of those who fell on April 19, 1775.
As Pastor Jonas Clark said, as they did, we stand “between us and our oppressors” and show the world that freedom still has a guardian.
Remember that tyranny doesn't always mean wearing a red coat or marching in formations. It could be wrapped up in goodwill and “common sense” regulations. It could also be hidden as safety, compassion, or democracy. But the prices are always the same: your freedom.
And the response must always be the same: resistance.
Retaining fees
The men who died in Lexington and Concord had no idea they were beginning a revolution. They knew that God, their families and their rights had obligations.
Their courage should not be domesticated by distance or dulled by ceremony. It should burn within us. It should lead us into action – to teach, to speak, to stand, and to fight if necessary.
Shot heard, “I'm going around the world.”
The question is, are we hearing it?
And if so, what would we do in the reply?
Let's answer in the same way as they do – not hesitate, but with beliefs born from principles and courage, not from fear.
For freedom to survive, it must be protected not only by historians and orators, but also by citizens.
Armed with knowledge. Armed with faith. Armed in the old fashioned way when necessary.
