Course Sample for Our American Revolution Homeschool History Course
Week 1
DAY 1: BATTLES OF LEXINGTON & CONCORD
On April 19, 1775, General Thomas Gage ordered his men to find and destroy gunpowder and supplies hidden by the colonists. Almost 900 British soldiers, under the command of Major John Pitcairn, marched from Boston toward Concord. At the same time, Paul Revere rode hard and fast to alert all the colonists that the British were coming.
When the British arrived in Lexington, the militia, under the command of Captain John Parker, prepared to defend their town. Major Pitcairn ordered his soldiers to disarm the colonial militia. Captain Parker ordered his men to disperse, but then a shot rang out. No one knows who fired that first shot, but the British soldiers began firing at the militiamen, killing eight and wounding ten. The remainder of the militiamen scattered to the nearby woods. The British soldiers then ransacked the town, and so began the first battle of the Revolutionary War.
Later, British soldiers continued with their march toward Concord, as did the militiamen and the minutemen in particular. When the soldiers arrived in Concord, they were greeted with a different scene. The British military tactics involved forming a line when attacking the enemy, but the colonists fought by flanking the soldiers and hiding behind trees. These scare tactics produced considerable results, as the soldiers decided to flee the scene back to Lexington and then Boston. The Revolutionary War had begun.
Week One, Days 2 – 4 are not included in this preview. See the link at the bottom to see a full preview of Week One.
DAY 5: REVIEW QUESTIONS
Answer the following review questions from this week’s study:
- On the map below, identify the 13 colonies in America:

- Who fired the first shot in Lexington?
- Why did Ethan Allen want to take over Fort Ticonderoga?
- What important service did Henry Knox provide for the Americans in November 1775?
- Who did Ethan Allen argue with upon arriving at Fort Ticonderoga?
VOCABULARY
Define the following terms:
Staked
Terrain
Disperse
Claim
Artillery
Ransacked
Captured
Rank
Militia
Annex
Squabbling
Tactics
Essential
Expedition
Flee
Ruptured
Disarm
Flanking
Retired
To view a full sample of this class, click here.