What was "the shot heard around the world"?
1 Answer
It was the first shot of the Revolutionary War at Lexington Green in Massachusetts, which was the catalyst for a world war.
Explanation:
After the Boston Tea Party, British Parliament passed series of laws known as the Intolerable Acts meant to put the colonies back under control. In response, the colonies boycotted British goods and began gathering military supplies and generating militias.
In Massachusetts, British troops in Boston heard word that two Patriot leaders (Sam Adams and John Hancock) were in the towns of Lexington and Concord where troops were gathering weapons. After nightfall on April 18th, 1775, the British troops left in secret to travel to the towns and capture the leaders and weapons. However, the Patriots learned of the plan, and Paul Revere rode from Boston ahead of the British troops to warn of their plan.
The British arrived in Lexington the next morning, and found a militia waiting for them on the green. After ordering the militia to disperse multiple times, the British troops (by far the larger force) advanced. A shot (the shot) was fired, though nobody knows from which side, and soon the Patriots fled. The British continued on to Concord, where a large militia was gathered that forced the British back to Boston.
The shot is known as "The Shot Heard Around the World" both because of what it represented and it's eventual effects. It was unheard of for a colony like those in the United States to attempt rebellion against Great Britain. More importantly, the Revolutionary War inspired events that could be considered a World War - each Spain, France, the Netherlands, and many German Houses officially entered the war, which caused battles in colonies of each empire around the world.
