When one visits the Appalachian regions it can bring home to the heart what happened there so very many years ago with the determination and dedication of the colonists. They came to a new land to seek independence and their own way of life. They were willing to fight and die for it to give their children and future generations the right to stand strong in their own home land and know what freedom is.

The American Revolutionary War began with the Boston Campaign, 1774 - 1776.

Many skirmishes between the colonists and the British occurred prior to and during the Boston Campaign over actions taken by Parliament and the presence of the British regiments.

The Townshend Acts of 1767 by the British Parliament placed duties on such commodities as paper, glass, and paint that the American colonies had to import. The Sons of Liberty, a political group whose aim was to protect the rights of the colonists, protested along with other patriotic organizations, and several actions were taken. Boycotts and protests of the imported items caused tensions to escalate and eventually led to the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770.

The Boston Massacre came about when several civilians began harassing a British sentry. Eight other British soldiers gathered to support the sentry and fired into the crowd at the civilians. Three people were killed and several others wounded -- two died later from wounds received in the incident.

On December 16, 1773, another incident occurred which became known as the Boston Tea Party. This was another protest by the Sons of Liberty. Three ships were seized by colonists and all the tea was thrown into Boston Harbor. This action taken by the Sons of Liberty has been considered the major incident that encouraged the American Revolution. Since this event led to Parliament enforcing the "Intolerable Acts", colonists responded with even more protests. Continued colonial resistance to acts of Parliament and the British regiments enforcing them escalated tensions and the crisis led to the Revolutionary War.

By April 1775, the Patriot militia of the thirteen colonies were ready to fight and give their lives to defend their independence and new country. They were a powerful force that kept growing, but they lacked organization and strategic skills. To mobilize the many units of the militia, they had to be brought together as one army, with qualified leaders.

The man chosen to lead the growing army and bring organization and strategic skills to the Patriot militia units was General George Washington, who had been given command of the Continental Army in July of 1775 by the Second Continental Congress.

On April 19, 1775 the first open armed conflict between Great Britain and the American colonies were the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a memorial poem in 1837 which he titled the Concord Hymn. In the first stanza he wrote the phrase that became well-known as the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. "The shot heard 'round the world" over time became a phrase for other important events in wars, sports, cultural and social events.

Following the Lexington and Concord battles, the militia (Continental Army) laid siege to Boston. The Battle of Bunker Hill, one of the worst encounters for both sides, was during the "Siege of Boston". With Washington's skills of leadership, the ever growing militia became organized and battle ready.

Several other campaigns and numerous battles were fought till the colonies finally won their freedom and independence from the British monarch and no longer had to deal with Parliament.