The America 250 tour is taking travelers on a journey through history, visiting the places where the United States was born. The trip begins in Boston, where growing frustration with King George III and Parliament reached a boiling point. When a tax was placed on tea, resistance turned into action, setting the stage for a revolution.

The Boston Tea Party

In December 1773, colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. The protest, later known as the Boston Tea Party, was more than an objection to taxes — it became a catalyst for the American Revolution.

A group of patriots called the Sons of Liberty organized the act, igniting outrage in Britain. In response, King George sent troops to Massachusetts, escalating tensions even further. On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through the countryside to warn colonial militia that British soldiers were advancing.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord

By the morning of April 19, militia members gathered at Buckman Tavern in Lexington. It was there the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired. No side claimed responsibility for that first shot, but the brief battle left eight colonial militia members dead and several others wounded. Later that day in nearby Concord, a larger fight unfolded at the Old North Bridge. More than 400 colonial militiamen clashed with British forces and drove them back, marking a pivotal early victory for the colonial cause.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.