Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will gather for a lecture by our Study Leader on the siege of Boston: eleven months from April 19, 1775 to March 17, 1776, when American militiamen kept British troops bottled up. We’ll then board our motorcoach for a field trip to explore two of America’s most iconic sites where some of the key events in the Revolutionary War took place. We’ll have onboard commentary as we ride out of Charlestown through Somerville and Cambridge en route to Lexington’s Battle Green, where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired. We’ll learn about revolutionary history on the other side of the Charles River and see the route the British took marching out to Lexington & Concord.
Lunch:
At a restaurant in Lexington.
Afternoon:
Our next stop is Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord. What happened at Lexington and Concord? British troops set out from Boston in the early hours of April 19, 1775, to seize revolutionary leaders as well as arms and ammunition stored in Lexington and Concord. Spies learned of the plan and spread the word. Paul Revere and others set out on horseback to rouse the countryside. When the British advance guard arrived on Lexington Green at dawn, they were met by members of local militias known as Minutemen. A shot rang out that was immortalized as “the shot heard ‘round the world.” The British had more than three times the numbers of the colonials, shot seven of them, and marched on to Concord. But there they met more militiamen at Old North Bridge and were repulsed, retreating back to Boston with numerous casualties along the way. The British general Percy wrote to London of the rebels, “Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will be much mistaken.” Riding on through the Concord countryside, we’ll pass the houses of Hawthorne, Emerson, and the Alcotts, ending at the North Bridge. We’ll return to the hotel after our field trip.
Dinner:
At a restaurant in Boston. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.
Evening:
At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure after our closing session in the morning.