title of essay: The One Shot
contestant’s name: Harkiran Saluja
address: 1629 Tivoli Drive Redlands, CA 92374
telephone number: (909) 792-4620
email address: [email protected]
The One Shot
“For a fraction of a second, the scene froze. Then a shot rang out” (Borneman 160). To
this day the question remains: Who fired the first shot at Lexington Green early on the morning
of April 19, 1775, the colonists or the Redcoats? That first shot is deemed to be the most
important one in the history of the United States, with renowned author and poet Ralph Waldo
Emerson calling it “the shot heard around the world.” This is the shot that completely altered the
course of American history and the world, kicking off the American Revolutionary War against
the British. After the shot heard around the world was fired at Lexington, for both sides, there
was no turning back. As for the colonists, the War of Independence was on. “Beaten and swept
aside into the fields and woods north of Lexington Green, they had listened and watched as the
regulars fired a victory volley and gave three cheers, while men of Lexington died in the grass a
few yards away. Better than anyone else these bitter Lexington men knew they were at war”
(Galvin 191).
Prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord, there were tensions amongst the colonists
and the British that had been going on for many years. Then, hundred of British soldiers marched
from Boston, Massachusetts to Concord, New Hampshire on the night of April 18, 1775 so that
they could seize a hidden store of weapons and ammunition (History). “But everyone in Boston
saw the boats being prepared and the companies off duty, and for three days messengers had
been riding to the neighboring towns arranging for signals to warn of the march of the regulars.
Not only were the alarm riders ready to go, but every townsman for miles around kept a wary
eye on the road to Boston – and everyone knew that Concord was one of the obvious goals of
any British foray” (Galvin 120). Paul Revere, William Dawes, and other members of the Sons of
Liberty were to ride as special messengers to warn the colonists of the British whereabouts. The
messengers were somewhat successful in setting the colonial minutemen and the rest of the
colonies on their feet, as they were now about to go to fight the Redcoats. Minutemen started
intercepting the British and hiding the weapons somewhere else. They were heavily
outnumbered by the British, and after heavy fire at Lexington, only one Redcoat was wounded
but the militiamen had eight killed and nine wounded. Despite this, the Americans won the
battle, as the British ended up retreating back to Boston. “The Concord-Lexington fight in April
1775 intensified the pressure…” (Nash 173) and set the course for the rest of American history.
Although Lexington was a bloody battle, the minutemen were able to defend their
weapons. However, it did not end there, as this was only the first battle of an extremely
significant era in the history of the United States. As a result of this event, the thirteen colonies
united against King George III of England, thus beginning the Revolutionary War era. Joseph
Warren, an American physician during this time, declared: “Nevertheless, to the persecution and
tyranny of his cruel ministry we will not tamely submit – appealing to Heaven for the justice of
our cause, we determine to die or be free.” What Warren says demonstrates how the colonists
were willing to do anything for their independence from Britain, even if it meant dying for what
was to be a new nation, and their victory at Lexington proves that; they would not give up
fighting against the Redcoats because they were battling for their “life, liberty, and pursuit of
happiness,” as Thomas Jefferson states in the Declaration of Independence. The shot heard
around the world marked the start of the War of Independence and no matter who fired it – the
Continental Army or the British – there was no turning back once the trigger was pulled – war
was inevitable from that moment on.
Without a doubt, the Battle of Lexington has shaped America as a nation into what it is
like today. Had the shot heard around the world not been fired, and had the colonists not spoken
up for themselves as a result of the excessive taxes imposed on by England, the Revolutionary
War would not have happened and the United States would still be under British rule today. One
small action completely changed America forever.
On July 4, 1837, at the Completion of the Battle Monument in Baltimore, Maryland,
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem about the Battle of Lexington, entitled Concord Hymn, was sung.
It reads:
“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 around the world.
The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.
On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise then and thee” (Poetry Foundation).
Works Cited (MLA)
Borneman, Walter R. American Spring: Lexington, Concord, and the Road to Revolution. New
York: Little, Brown, 2014. Print.
“Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson | Poetry Foundation.” Poetry Foundation. Poetry
Foundation, n.d. Web. 01 December 2016.
Galvin, John R. The Minute Men: A Compact History of the Defenders of the American Colonies,
1645-1775. New York: Hawthorne, 1967. Print.
History.com Staff. “Battles of Lexington and Concord.” History.com. A&E Television
Networks. 2009. Web. 30 November 2016.
Nash, Gary B. The Unknown American Revolution: The Unruly Birth of Democracy and the
Struggle to Create America. New York: Viking, 2005. Print.
Contestant’s Biography
My name is Harkiran Saluja and I am currently a junior at Redlands High School. I was born in
New Orleans, Louisiana and moved to California when I was two years old. For four years, I
lived in Loma Linda and then in 2006, our family moved to Redlands, where I still live today.
My elementary and middle school years were spent at Valley Preparatory School. At Redlands
High School, I have been taking rigorous courses, including multiple AP and honors classes, and
I have been receiving the 4.0 and above certification every semester; I have also been in CSF
every semester. My freshman year, in the first quarter, my Spanish three teacher gave me the
Outstanding Student Award. In terms of school activities, I am involved in tennis, speech and
debate, and several clubs. Since my freshman year, I have been playing varsity tennis, receiving
varsity letters for three years. At the end of my freshman season, I received the Most Improved
Player Award and during my junior season I was team captain. In speech and debate, I do mainly
expository speeches along with public forum debate, but I have done other types of speeches and
debates as well such as an interpretation speech and parliamentary debate. I have a few trophies
and medals, all from expository speaking and have gone to the final rounds of several
tournaments, including state qualifications. Over many years, I have volunteered at various
events; I have been volunteering at Redlands Community Hospital for a year and a half and
annually, I volunteer at the Rose Parade Float Building, helping work on the Sikh float, and also
at the LA Marathon. My sophomore year, I received the Teens Make a Difference Award for
over one hundred hours of community service. For the future, I plan on going to a UC or an outof-state university for college, and I intend to major in computer science, as I am currently taking
a computer science class and learning new programming languages and I also am going to take
AP Computer Science next year.