“The Shot Heard Round the World”

On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution started with a shot at Concord. Yet, no one knows who truly fired the first shot in “the shot heard round the world.”

By 1775, tensions had grown between Britain and the American Colonies. The colonies felt that Britain taxed them unfairly and allowed them no representation. As the taxes rose, discontent spread. To combat this dissent, Britain sent more soldiers to board at major cities. This just increased the tension.

Eventually, the tension came to head at Concord, Massachusetts. In an attempt to take down rebels and confiscate gun powder, a British General sent his troops early in the morning. Prepared, the American rebels met them. In the tense stand-off, someone fired a shot and the revolution officially started.

The question of the time is who fired the first shot. Some will say a British soldier did it. While others blame the American colonists. No one has traced that shot to whoever did it. Who knows, maybe the shot came from someone hunting that early morning and had nothing to do with the stand-off. Still, this first shot became “the shot heard round the world”.