The April 19th History Coalition is made up of representatives from Minute Man National Historical Park, Arlington Historical Society, Concord Museum, Concord Celebrations Committee, Lexington Historical Society, Lexington Celebrations Committee, Lincoln Historical Society, Minute Man Media Network, Friends of Minute Man National Park, Freedom’s Way National Heritage Area, and Revolution 250. Using these partnerships, the April 19th History Coalition seeks to tell the story of the events of April 18 & 19 when 700 soldiers of the British Army marched to Lexington & Concord in search of hidden arms and ammunition and were forcibly opposed by members of the Massachusetts militia and driven back to Boston.
The coalition will use innovative digital programming to connect the people of today with the events of April 18th & 19th, 1775, as well as with the lives of the people who were participants and witnesses to the events along, what would become known as “Battle Road.” Among the planned programs are Our Tangible Past, which will feature short video introductions to the artifacts and material culture held by April 19th History Coalition partner institutions that help us to the events of those days; The Revolution in Real Time, that will use the hashtag #RevolutioninRealTime on Social Media to help showcase how the events of those days played out in chronological time; and Voices of 1775, in which Volunteers, Reenactors, National Park and Museum staff will portray the men and women who were witnesses to this moment that changed the world.
Follow all the action on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtags #VirtualPatriotsDay and #RevolutioninRealTime.A full schedule of the programs can be found at www.Revolution250.org.
Participate in these events virtually on Minute Man Historical National Park’s social media sites:
Minute Man National Historical Park | Facebook
Minute Man NPS – YouTube
MinuteManNPS (@MinuteManNPS) / Twitter
April 19, 1775: Our Tangible Past
New videos premiering daily, Saturday, April 10th – Friday, April 16th
7:00 a.m.
Each video in this series will feature incredible museum objects related to the events of April 19th, some that have not been seen by the public for centuries, and connect these objects to real stories and places that you can visit!
The Minute Men: Neighbors in Arms
Saturday, April 17th
10:00 a.m. (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter)
Though most famous for their role in the events of April 19, 1775, the minute men and militia of Massachusetts were part of a long tradition dating back to the earliest days of the colony! In this video, featuring new reenactment footage, watch colonial reenactors as they demonstrate how these citizen soldiers of 1775 prepared for the looming conflict. Far from being a “rag-tag” bunch of farmers, see the minute men were armed and equipped, and how they trained.
The British Light Infantry
Saturday, April 17th
1:00 p.m. (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter)
On April 19, 1775 the British soldiers fought their way nearly 20 miles from Concord back to Boston through swarms of rebel reinforcements. The popular image of this fight is of militiamen behind cover picking off British soldiers at will who remained in the open and were easy targets. Was the British soldier really that poorly suited to this “irregular” style of warfare? In this video learn about the adoption into the army of specially trained and equipped soldiers called “light infantry.” Watch a group of British reenactors as they demonstrate real light infantry tactics from the period, and discover what the fighting was really like on the April 19th Battle Road!
Caught in the Storm of War: Civilian Stories from April 19, 1775
Saturday, April 17th
3:00 p.m. (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter)
In this video Park Ranger Jim Hollister talks with historian, blogger and author Alexander Cain (Historical Nerdery) about the various accounts of civilian evacuations and aftermath as the fighting raged along the Battle Road.
The Patriot Vigil
Sunday, April 18th
7:30 p.m. (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter)
The Patriot Vigil is a moving candlelight tribute at the North Bridge battlefield dedicated to those who lost their lives on April 19, 1775. The ceremony will be pre-recorded, but we invite you to participate virtually on April 18th by placing a candle or candle lantern in your window, photograph it and post it to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with #PatriotVigil
Revolution In Real Time
10:00 p.m. April 18th – 7:00 p.m. April 19th
Follow the hashtag #RevolutionInRealTime on Facebook and Twitter to keep pace with the historical events of April 18 and 19, 1775 as they happened 246 years ago! Revolution in Real Time will feature regular updates, starting at about 10:00 pm on April 18th and going through the night and all the next day, April 19th.
Voices of 1775
Sunday, April 18th – Monday, April 19th
Videos will premiere throughout the day. (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter)
Volunteer reenactors, park and museum staff portray real men and women who lived in 1775 and experienced the events of April 19th. The performances are taken from the actual words written by these people to provide you with a window to what it was really like to experience the start of the American Revolution – from a variety of perspectives! Follow #Voicesof1775
