If we ever choose a new federal holiday, I hope it’s April 19, which is very much worth celebrating. Not only would it inspire more appreciation for the courage of our founders, but it could also inform debate about the scope of the Second Amendment.
We think of our nation being “born” on July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence. Extending that same carnal metaphor, the date of our nation’s conception would be April 19, 1775, preceded by years of foreplay leading up to the event.
After the British defeated France in North America, Parliament was left to govern the Colonies, keep them loyal to the Crown, and figure out how to pay for the task. They pursued some heavy-handed solutions, restricting freedoms, imposing onerous policies, and using violence to suppress dissent.
Between the end of the war with France in 1763 and the Declaration of Independence, the Colonies experienced increasing turmoil. This ferment eventually led to a revolution.
I doubt that students in school today learn much about that era, but Americans of a certain age did: The Royal Proclamation of 1763 forbidding settlement west of the Appalachians (enterprising folks like Daniel Boone ignored that one).
The Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, the Quartering Act, and the Townshend Acts (“No taxation without representation”). The Boston Massacre (galvanizing new leaders, like Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Henry Knox, and John Adams). The Boston Tea Party, which provoked a harsh reaction from Parliament, is known as the Intolerable Acts.
Much of this turmoil occurred in Massachusetts, but opposition arose elsewhere in the Colonies. Leaders in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere were aware of events in the North. By late 1774, Patriots from all 13 Colonies met in Philadelphia in the Continental Congress to develop a plan to present their grievances to the King. That didn’t go well and led to an even harsher regimen imposed by the British Army in Boston and elsewhere.
The period of “foreplay” was coming to an end. The Patriots were excited, feelings were hot, and their position hardened. The stage was set for an explosion. The “conception” of the American nation would soon be at hand.
Based on intelligence purportedly provided by the wife of British General Gage, the Patriots learned of the Army’s plan to march on Concord to seize the colonial stores of gunpowder kept in that outlying village. Once the intelligence was confirmed (“One if by land, two if by sea”), Paul Revere undertook his “Midnight Ride,” and word went out. The “Minutemen” came with their rifles from far and wide, assembling first at Lexington on the road to Concord.
At sunrise on April 19, 1775, the first shots of the Revolution were fired (“The shot heard round the world”), beginning the rebellion that led to the eventual success of the American Revolution. The battle moved from Lexington to Concord. By late morning, it was clear that the Redcoats were having a bad day, causing a retreat to Boston under fire from the militia throughout the day.
It was a seminal day in our history, leading to the birth of the Nation and contributing to the Founders’ intention to include the Second Amendment in our Bill of Rights. The very moment of the United States conception was fraught with an attempt to seize the people’s arms and deny them the ability to oppose a tyrannical government that had repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to use violence to suppress them.
On that day and throughout the Revolution, the Americans, though outnumbered, had superior weapons (rifled long guns) and skills. The Redcoats carried the “Brown Bess,” a smoothbore musket that was much less accurate. Keep this in mind the next time someone tells you Americans have no need for “military-grade” rifles.
Next year, 2025, April 19 will be the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington and Concord. We should mark it as an important day in our history. The events of that day are already commemorated in six states as Patriots’ Day. I hope someday, all Americans will celebrate the day together and use the occasion as a teaching moment.
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