A look at the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and other events that led to the battle in Lexington, Mass. The war for American independence began almost by accident, when a single, unidentified shot rang out at Lexington. Examine the decade of conflict that sparked rebellion, as well as the Continental Congress' decision to hire a physically imposing Virginia aristocrat to lead its army.
A look at the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and other events that led to the battle in Lexington, Mass. The war for American independence began almost by accident, when a single, unidentified shot rang out at Lexington. Examine the decade of conflict that sparked rebellion, as well as the Continental Congress' decision to hire a physically imposing Virginia aristocrat to lead its army.
This episode chronicles the defeat of the patriots at Bunker Hill and examines how the Continental Congress turned to a Virginia aristocrat named Washington to lead an army short on men and ammunition, and traces the growing momentum of rebellion, spurred by Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" and Washington's leadership, that led to the signing of Jefferson's document on July 4, 1776.