To kick off our eight-year-long 250th anniversary celebrations of the American Revolution, this panel discussion highlights the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the beginning of the American Revolution. Panelists include historians J.L. Bell discussing the prelude of the two events of April 19, 1775; Alexander Cain highlighting the engagements through the perspectives of the battles’ participants and civilian eyewitnesses; and Jarrad Fuoss of Minute Man National Historical Park exploring recent archaeological studies and findings and how they have impacted or enhanced the interpretation of the battles.
About the Panelists
J.L. Bell is a historian who authored The Road to Concord: How Four Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War, published in 2016. He maintains the Boston1775.net website that is dedicated to history, analysis, and unabashed gossip about the start of the American Revolution in New England. His other historical writing includes Gen. George Washington’s Home and Headquarters—Cambridge, Massachusetts, a comprehensive study for the National Park Service, and contributions to Todd Andrlik’s book, Reporting the Revolution, published in 2012, James Marten’s Children in Colonial America, published in 2007, and many other journals and magazines. Mr. Bell has be awarded Fellowships at the Massachusetts Historical Society, the American Antiquarian Society, and membership in the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. Explore J.L. Bell’s blog, Boston1775.net: https://boston1775.blogspot.com/
Alexander Cain is a historian whose research focuses on the military and social influences of April 19, 1775. He has published multiple research articles that have shed new light on the Battles of Lexington Concord, privateer operations during the Siege of Boston, and the loyalist refugee experience during the American Revolution, and has also authored two books that include, We Stood Our Ground: Lexington in the First Year of the American Revolution and I See Nothing but the Horrors of a Civil War. Additionally, he maintains the online blog and podcast, Historical Nerdery, that explores various components of the American Revolution with an emphasis on the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Explore Alexander Cain’s blog, Historical Nerdery: https://www.historicalnerdery.com/
Jarrad Fuoss is an interpretive ranger at Minute Man National Historical Park, who specializes in the events of April 19, 1775 and nineteenth-century American history. Prior to joining the interpretive staff at Minute Man National Historical Park in 2019, he was an interpretive ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park. In addition to his background in public history, he also has a background in anthropology and archaeology.