The battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, ultimately triggered the American Revolutionary War by marking the first direct military confrontation between British troops and colonial militias.

Tensions had escalated due to various factors, including taxation without representation and oppressive legislation like the Intolerable Acts. As British forces sought to seize colonial arms and arrest revolutionary leaders, local militias mobilized to resist. The resulting skirmishes galvanized colonial unity and commitment to independence, setting the stage for a full-scale conflict against British rule.