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 regular colonial troops. They gained particular prominence during the American Revolutionary War, notably at the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, where colonial forces deployed Minutemen in confrontations with British troops. Although not a single nationwide army, Minutemen formed the backbone of local defense forces in several colonies.

After independence, many Minutemen became part of state militias or did not continue as a distinctive force. The term fell from common use but remained associated with quick-response or ad hoc soldiering.

In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the term was revived in the United States to describe civilian volunteer border-watch groups. The best-known example is the Minuteman Project, launched in 2004 to monitor illegal immigration along the U.S.–Mexico border, often under the banner of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps. These groups operated independently of the U.S. government and were the subject of political controversy and legal scrutiny, with varying levels of activity and membership over time.