Beneath the Minuteman statue sculpted by Daniel Chester French

Today we went to the North Bridge in Concord.  This is the place where the American Revolution started, when British troops fired at the Concord Militiamen on April 19, 1775.  After the British soldiers fired, the leader of the Militia said, “For God’s sake fire!”  To the Militiamen’s surprise, the most powerful army in the world (at that time) turned and ran away.  Overnight the word was spread that arms and volunteers were needed, and within a few days, 20,000 Militiamen answered the call and surrounded Boston.  The statue I’m standing next to with my sister Naomi is called “The Minuteman,” and stands at the edge of the North Bridge over the Concord River.  It was sculpted for the 100th anniversary of that battle by Daniel Chester French, age 23, a young man from Concord, who would go on to sculpt the Lincoln Memorial statue in Washington DC.

Minutemen return fire against British regulars at the North Bridge

Learning the factors that ignited the American Revolution.