Tensions between Great Britain and its American colonies reached a breaking point on the night of April 18, 1775. British troops stationed in Boston prepared to march into the Massachusetts countryside to seize colonial and military supplies stored in Concord and potentially arrest Patriot leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock in nearby Lexington. Patriot organizers needed to warn local militias quickly, so they turned to a trusted messenger.
Enter: Paul Revere.
It was Revere’s legendary ride that helped alert colonial communities that British forces were on the move, enabling members of the militia (also called minutemen) to prepare for action. Within hours, the first shots of the American Revolution would be fired at Lexington and Concord…