Minutemen
Minutemen were civilian colonists in the American colonies who organized local militias prepared to fight on a minute's notice. They were an informal force associated chiefly with Massachusetts and New England, though other colonies maintained similar units. The term derives from the expectation of rapid readiness rather than continuous military service.
During the escalating crisis with Britain in the early 1770s, Minutemen trained regularly and operated alongside
After independence, many Minutemen became part of state militias or did not continue as a distinctive force.
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the term was revived in the United States to