Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

89(R) HCR 88 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.C.R. No. 88

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, April 19, 2025, marks the 250th anniversary of the

Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, when the "shot

heard 'round the world" signaled the beginning of the American

Revolutionary War--later culminating in the signing of the

Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776; and

WHEREAS, Following years of simmering tensions between Great

Britain and its 13 American colonies, especially Massachusetts, the

level of conflict reached a boiling point in 1775; angered by the

imposition of onerous taxes and military rule, colonists protested

with the rallying cry "no taxation without representation" and

joined local militias; the colonial patriots had learned of the

British plan to seize their weapons cache in Concord, and late on

the night of April 18, Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Dr. Samuel

Prescott rode out to spread the news to minutemen, who quickly

mobilized; and

WHEREAS, Some 700 to 800 British soldiers arrived in

Lexington at dawn on April 19 and found about 80 militiamen gathered

on the town green; the British demanded that they disperse, but

before they could do so, a shot rang out from an unknown source; the

British subsequently attacked, killing 8 militiamen and wounding 10

more; some troops pursued fleeing militiamen while the light

infantry pushed on toward Concord; their search for hidden weapons

proved largely fruitless, as the colonists had already moved most

of them; the British then contended with a much larger colonial

force in a second skirmish, and as the "redcoats"--as British

soldiers were then called--retreated toward Boston, further

American reinforcements arrived to inflict heavy damage from behind

trees, walls, and buildings; during the increasingly chaotic fight,

73 "redcoats" were killed, over 170 were wounded, and 26 went

missing; American losses were 50 killed, 39 wounded, and 5 missing;

within two days, 15,000 men from across New England had surrounded

the British in Boston; and

WHEREAS, Although the April 1775 Battles of Lexington and

Concord did not constitute a serious military defeat for the

British, they proved politically disastrous, demonstrating that

the American citizen soldiers, most of them farmers or tradesmen,

could successfully stand up to an empire's professional army; the

violence ultimately transformed the colonists' antipathy toward

British policy into a blazing resolve to win independence; and

WHEREAS, In the words of John Adams, with the Battles of

Lexington and Concord, "the die was cast, the Rubicon crossed," and

it is indeed fitting to pay tribute to the courage, acumen, and

determination that characterized this momentous turning point in

the founding of the United States of America; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 89th Legislature of the State of Texas

hereby commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of

Lexington and Concord.

Lowe

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President of the Senate

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.C.R. No. 88 was adopted by the House on May

23, 2025, by a non-record vote.

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Chief Clerk of the House

I certify that H.C.R. No. 88 was adopted by the Senate on May

31, 2025, by a viva-voce vote.

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Secretary of the Senate

APPROVED: __________________

Date

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Governor