{"id":1267,"date":"2024-10-28T19:35:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-28T19:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/s2.designcostaging.com\/clients\/mmm\/?post_type=stories&p=1267"},"modified":"2024-11-12T21:30:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T21:30:36","slug":"battles-of-lexington-concord-centennial-celebrations","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/s2.designcostaging.com\/clients\/mmm\/stories\/battles-of-lexington-concord-centennial-celebrations\/","title":{"rendered":"Battles of Lexington & Concord Centennial Celebrations"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the one hundredth anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution approached, Americans discovered a newfound interest in Revolutionary War history. For some, that meant tracing their heritage (through groups like the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution) to stake their claim as a member of an \u201coriginal\u201d American family. For others, the connection was more symbolic: Black Americans, women suffragists, and Irish Americans all evoked the spirit of the revolution in their own fights for equality.<\/p>\n

Nowhere was this Centennial fervor more pronounced than in the region surrounding Boston. As Craig Bruce Smith wrote in the Massachusetts Historical Review<\/em>, \u201cBostonians believed that they owned these events in a way that trumped any attempts to nationalize their memory. Each Centennial celebration represented an opportunity not only to commemorate the event but also to advance Boston\u2019s claims to the supremacy in Revolutionary memory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boston would celebrate the Centennial with music, fireworks, and a series of speeches at the Boston Music Hall. But the true epicenter of celebrations was farther west, in the towns of Lexington<\/a> and Concord<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ever since the first military conflicts of the American Revolution took place there in 1775, both Lexington and Concord had recognized April 19th as a day of remembrance. Knowing the centennial would generate national interest in that day, both towns began planning elaborate celebrations that they hoped would cement their town\u2019s role in the beginnings of the American Revolution.<\/p>\n

With a generous donatio mortis causa<\/em> from a citizen named Ebenezer Hubbard, the Town of Concord rebuilt the historic North Bridge and commissioned a statue to be unveiled during the event. The Town ultimately selected a design from a young, little-known local sculptor named Daniel Chester French<\/a>. It chose well\u2014French\u2019s statue, The Minute Man<\/a>,<\/em> has since become a quintessential symbol of American freedom.<\/p>\n

The events in Concord also included an address by Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/a>, an oration by Harper\u2019s Weekly<\/em> editor George William Curtis, and a formal ball.<\/p>\n

In Lexington the schedule included addresses by Thomas Merriam Stetson and Charles Hudson, a hymn by Julia Ward Howe, and an oration by Richard H. Dana,\u00a0Jr. This was followed by a procession and a grand ball. Lexington also unveiled marble statues of John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who were present in Lexington on the morning of April 19, 1775.<\/p>\n

For both towns, the main event was the arrival of President Ulysses S. Grant and his cabinet. President Grant split his time between Lexington and Concord, rubbing elbows with state senators and other esteemed guests.<\/p>\n

The public also came out in droves. Newspapers reported that some 80,000 people attended the celebrations in Lexington, while an estimated 50,000 descended upon Concord. The crowds overwhelmed the Fitchburg and Lowell railways to the point of stoppage, and the few food and drink establishments in Lexington and Concord found themselves entirely depleted.<\/p>\n

The day\u2019s calamity did not end there. Blistering wind plagued the audience, while the fields\u2014still soaked with April snow melt\u2014were reduced to mud. The orator\u2019s platform in Concord collapsed several times, leading writer Louisa May Alcott<\/a> to dub the day \u201cthe Centennial Break Down.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Centennial Committees from both Lexington and Concord still felt there was much to be proud of. The Boston Daily Advertiser<\/em> called the events \u201ca glorious celebration of a famous day.\u201d Boston\u2019s Irish Catholic newspaper, The Pilot<\/em>, begged to disagree. George William Curtis had made a string of anti-immigrant remarks during his speech that the paper called, \u201cunworthy of Concord and of American strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to Curtis\u2019s slight, Irish Americans rallied together for a huge showing at the Centennial of the Battle of Bunker Hill that June. It was a small victory for American minorities, but an important reminder for all of the Centennial\u2019s celebrants: the spirit of the American Revolution could belong to anyone who wished to claim it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the one hundredth anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution approached, Americans discovered a newfound interest in Revolutionary War history. For some, that meant tracing their heritage (through groups like the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution) to stake their claim as a member of an \u201coriginal\u201d American family. For others, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-1267","stories","type-stories","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBattles of Lexington & Concord Centennial Celebrations - Monuments Memorials & Markers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Battles of Lexington & Concord Centennial Celebrations - Monuments Memorials & Markers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As the one hundredth anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolution approached, Americans discovered a newfound interest in Revolutionary War history. 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