I have a story to tell you about people who wanted the freedom we now enjoy. When the English colonized America, they didn’t have enough soldiers or money to supply a military force. England was fighting an ongoing war with France for the Americas. What England did was sent arms and ammunition to the local government. The local government would form a militia to protect the colonies. Because the American Yankees were causing trouble by disrupting commerce, the English sent an army to Boston in 1775. The orders were to go to Concord where the state armory was and confiscate all arms and ammunition. A brigade of British regulars, red coats, left Boston in April of 1775 marching to Concord. Paul Revere and Thomas Dawes left Boston a few hours before the British and warned the people all along the way. Lexington was on the way to Concord. In Lexington the captain called out the militia, all 77 members. They were fathers, brothers, sons and neighbors. As they fell into formation with their squirrel guns and hunting rifles, 400 British regulars marched into Lexington. The captain told them not fire on the British. The British major told the group to surrender their arms. They didn’t move. Then a shot rang out. The British soldiers began firing on the Massachusetts National Guardsmen. 6 fell died and rest began to run as the British chased them. That day, 3900 National Guardsmen turned out and chased the British army of 1500 strong back to Boston. The British suffered over 300 causalities. The National Guardsmen suffered less than a 100 causalities. After the British army made it back to Boston. The British general Gates told a subordinate that the British army was defeated that day by an idea. And that idea was freedom.

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