The events of April 19, 1775 were a turning point in the long struggle between Mother England and her American colonies. In a march of protest and petition turned independence and revolution, the fighting on April 19, 1775 would foreshadow the rebellious action of the American colonies to ultimately create a new nation, the United States of America. Created in 1959, Minute Man National Historical Park preserves and protects the significant historic sites, structures, properties and landscapes associated with the opening battles of the American Revolution. Most importantly, Minute Man interprets the colonial struggle for natural rights and freedoms. Today, Minute Man consists of over 900 acres of land which wind along original segments of the Battle Road of April 19, 1775. In addition to the park's revolutionary significance, Minute Man preserves and interprets the 19th century literary revolution through The Wayside, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott and Margaret Sidney.

The landscapes shaped by the New England colonists, including features such as stone walls, roads, fields, orchards, woodlots, and homes, affected the course of the events of April 19,1775.

• Battle Road Unit -
• North Bridge Area -
• Wayside House of Authors Area -

• Walk the Battle Road Trail along the 1775 Battle Road, location of the running fight between British and Colonial forces that began the American Revolution.
• Visit the renowned North Bridge where the first ordered firing upon British troops resulted in "The Shot Heard 'Round the World."
• Tour The Wayside, the historic literary home in which Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott, and children's author Margaret Sidney lived.