HCR88 - Commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

      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       ______________________________ ______________________________      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.     ______________________________   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.     ______________________________   Secretary of the Senate      APPROVED: __________________                   Date                       __________________                 Governor