During the colonial era, when there was no national army and few local police, militias were a central part of American life. Militias were groups of local men who organized themselves to defend their communities against threats—they suppressed…
On the night of April 18, 1775, British troops marched out of Boston with orders to seize the guns and ammunition stored by local militia companies in Concord, Massachusetts. Paul Revere and other riders set out to warn the communities outside…