250 years ago, and about 12 miles from Wayland High School (WHS), the 13 colonies began their fight for independence, which would later lead to the creation of the United States of America.

The historic 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord – the first battles of the Revolutionary War – took place on Saturday, April 19, with celebrations all across Massachusetts. In Concord, there were many festivities to celebrate the town’s role in the creation of America.

On April 19, 1775, thousands of British troops marched into Lexington to confront a wildly outnumbered 70 colonial militiamen. In that first skirmish occurred what Ralph Waldo Emerson would later call “the shot heard around the world.” After the Battle of Lexington, the British advanced to Concord, where they fought a greater number of colonists. The colonists emerged victorious in Concord, and the rest is history.

This past Saturday, that history was relived through battle reenactments and ceremonies that commemorate a struggle for freedom and self-governance. Massachusetts towns, especially Lexington and Concord, hosted several days of festivities, including a reenactment of Paul Revere’s ride and a visit from documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, all of which led up to the events of April 19.

(Credit: Penelope Biddle)

The first reenactment in Concord began at dawn. Alongside reenactors, local figures wore microphones so that spectators could clearly hear the dialogue that preceded the mock battle as they raised the flag atop a hill overlooking the bridge. The battle itself lasted roughly 10 minutes, followed by more short speeches.

“I think [the reenactment is] a really neat thing to do,” Stafford said. “Lots of people hear about these events, and they’re taught about them in schools, but it’s something different to see it re-enacted in such a life-like way. You know, everything was very convincing.”

Stafford was particularly impressed by the attention to detail in even the most minute ways, from the historical clothing people wore to the way they spoke and acted.

“They all talked as if they were in the 1700s,” Stafford said. “It was very well done and I think that’s a very useful and captivating way to teach history.”

Many spectators in Lexington and Concord were dressed in colonial or patriotic garb, whether it be a tricorn hat or a Red Sox jersey. Attendee Phil Bascom donned a full minuteman outfit he bought from Etsy. Bascom, a member of the historical society Sons of the American Revolution, was interested in the event due to his ancestors John Reed and Elias Bascom’s involvement in the Revolutionary War.

“It’s just super cool to be a part of this and to show up for the 250th [anniversary],” Bascom said. “It’ll probably be my last one. I think I was 10 years old when I [came to the 200th anniversary].”

Bascom recalled that the 200th anniversary offered an assortment of parades and memorabilia. The commemorative items Bascom still held onto after all these years were the special $2 bills featuring the signing of the Declaration of Independence on the back, which he decided to part ways with to celebrate the event.

“I just gave one of [the $2 bills] out to a boy scout,” Bascom said. “I carry them around and give them out to kids. That’s just to remember [that the] $2 bill came out in 1775, [as a] form of a bond to pay for the colonial award.”

However, Healey did not just speak of the past. Though she never said President Donald Trump’s name explicitly during her 10-minute address, her criticism of the current administration was clear, and was met with roaring approval from the crowd.

“We live in a moment when our freedoms are once again under attack, including from the highest office in the land, we see things that would be familiar to our revolutionary predecessors, the silencing of critics: the disappearing of people from our streets, demands for unquestioning fealty,” Healey said. “Due process is a foundational right, if it can be discarded for one it can be lost for all.”

Healey was referring to the deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia that the government conducted despite a court order barring them from doing so. After he was deported, the Trump administration chalked his deportation up to an “administrative error” but then refused to heed the Supreme Court’s order facilitating Garcia’s return to the United States.

Additionally, the president has revoked access of several news publications to the White House, raising concern from many about whether or not the president believes in preserving the first amendment, and respecting the rule of law in general. Healey called on the people of Massachusetts, who she says have always been the first to advocate for a better future, to engage with the current political situation.

“At every moment we’ve answered the call for liberty and advanced the cause of freedom, leading the abolitionist movement to resist and end slavery, leading the movement for women’s suffrage, first in education, first in healthcare, first in civil rights of equality under the law,” Healey said.