Honor Lexington and Concord Anniversary

Senate Resolution No. 149 BY: Senator MAY COMMEMORATING the 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 2025, and recognizing their impact on the history of New York State WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commemorate significant events which represent turning points in our unique history and which are indelibly etched in the saga of our great Nation; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 2025, and to recognize their impact on the history of New York State; and WHEREAS, On the morning of April 19, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord to seize an arms cache; Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoat column; and WHEREAS, After a confrontation on the Lexington town green that left nine people dead, the British soldiers marched on to Concord, where some

400 armed colonial militia members engaged the soldiers and forced them to retreat back to Boston; and WHEREAS, On April 23, 1775, word of the battle reached New York and prompted many in the city to join or form militias; students from Kings College, including Alexander Hamilton, joined a militia that would be called the Hearts of Oak; and WHEREAS, News of the battles of Lexington and Concord materially altered the political landscape in New York; prior to that time, the New York General Assembly had opposed efforts by the 12 other colonies to resist British rule, had voted against the proceedings of the first Continental Congress and refused to send delegates to the Second Continental Congress; and WHEREAS, By mid-May, 1775, the New York Provincial Congress convened as a pro-independence alternative to the New York General Assembly, and New York delegates James Duane, Lewis Morris, and Philip Livingston attended the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia; and WHEREAS, On May 26, 1775, one hundred New Yorkers signed a document seeking "the salvation of the Rights and Liberties of America," among them Abraham Ten Broeck of Albany County, Nathaniel Sackett of Dutchess County, Theodorus Polhamus of Kings County, John DeLancey and John Van Cortlandt of New York County, Zebulon Williams of Queens County, Christopher Tappen of Ulster County, and Gouverneur Morris of Westchester County; and WHEREAS, Many New Yorkers would go on to distinguish themselves as Patriots in the course of the war, including Alexander Hamilton, Isaac Sears, Hercules Mulligan, Increase Carpenter, Colonel Peter Gansevoort, and Generals Nicholas Herkimer, Nathanlel Woodhull, and Robert van Rensselaer; and WHEREAS, In light of the courage of those early combatants in the war of American independence, and in consideration of the profound impact their actions had on the course of history, April 19 is celebrated as Patriots Day in Massachusetts; and WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when events of such historical consequence are brought to our attention, they should be recalled and recognized by all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 2025, and to recognize their impact on the history of New York State.