The Shot Heard 'Round the World (Lexington & Concord)
From Liberty's Kids · 2002
Summary
At dawn on Lexington Green and then at Concord's North Bridge, Massachusetts militia and British regulars finally exchange fire — and the argument over taxes and rights becomes a shooting war. James reports on the first battles of the American Revolution and the running fight that chases the British back to Boston.
Viewer safety
Animated battle sequences — cannon fire, troops maneuvering. No graphic wounds or death shown.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
No one knows who fired the first shot at Lexington, but its effect was enormous: years of protest and petition turned, in a single morning, into open war.
- Why is the first shot at Lexington called “the shot heard 'round the world”?
- The colonists fought the retreating British from behind walls and trees instead of in neat rows. Why might that style of fighting work for them?
- Once shots were fired, was there any going back to peaceful protest? Why or why not?
- How can a small event in one place end up changing things for people far away?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: militia, regular, North Bridge, volley, skirmish.
Try it: Create a short timeline of April 19, 1775, from the warning ride to the British retreat to Boston. Mark Lexington and Concord, and write one sentence about why that single day changed everything.