"The shot heard round the world."

April 19, 1775. American Patriots in Concorde and Lexington engaged with British forces in the first battles of the American revolution. This phrase comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem, "The Concord Hymn". He was referring to the fighting at the North Bridge, where colonial militiamen were first ordered to fire on British soldiers. In doing so, these patriots were committing treason against the British empire, which came with a penalty of death. For these patriots, freedom from British oppression was a prize worth dying for.

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,

Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,

Here once the embattled farmers stood,

And fired the shot heard round the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson