The minutemen were among the first to fight in the American Revolution. Their teams constituted about a quarter of the entire militia and were known for being ready at a minute's notice.

The first shots of the war were fired just as the sun was rising at Lexington on April 19, 1775. Eight militiamen were killed, including Ensign Robert Munroe, who was third in command. The British suffered only one casualty. The militia was outnumbered and fell back, and the regulars proceeded on to Concord, where they broke apart into companies to search for supplies.

Paul Revere's Midnight Ride occurred on the night of April 18, 1775, immediately before the battles of Lexington and Concord, the first engagements of the American Revolutionary War. By giving advance warning of the British Army's actions, the ride played a crucial role in the subsequent battles.

The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag commonly used during the revolution, with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: "Don't Tread on Me".

Patrick Henry was an American attorney, planter, politician, and orator best known for his declaration to the Second Virginia Convention: "Give me liberty, or give me death!" A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia, from 1776 to 1779 and from 1784 to 1786.

On May 10, 1775, a small force of Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen and Colonel Benedict Arnold surprised and captured Fort Ticonderoga. The cannons and other armaments at the fort were later transported to Boston by Colonel Henry Knox and used to fortify Dorchester Heights and break the standoff at the siege of Boston.

After the Patriot victory at Concord, moderates in Congress led by John Dickinson drafted the Olive Branch Petition, offering to accept royal authority in return for George III mediating in the dispute, but it was followed by the July 6 Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which made its success unlikely. King George formally declared the colonists traitors without even reading the petition.

Although the Continental Congress declared independence on July 4, they actually voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, 1776. John Adams would later write to his wife: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America.... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

The stars on the original flag were in a circle so all the Colonies would appear equal.

John Hancock is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term "John Hancock" has become a synonym in the United States for one's signature.