The American Revolution
Summary
American Revolution (1775-1783) led to the birth of a new nation—the United States. The revolution caused a
military conflict called the Revolutionary War in America. The war was fought between Britain (now also called the
United Kingdom) and its 13 colonies that lay along the Atlantic Ocean in North America. The war began on April
19, 1775, when British soldiers and American patriots clashed at Lexington, Massachusetts, and at nearby
Concord. The war lasted eight years. On Sept. 3, 1783, Britain signed the Treaty of Paris, by which it recognized
the independence of the United States. The revolution stood as an example to peoples in many lands who later
fought to gain their freedom. In 1836, the American author Ralph Waldo Emerson referred to the first shot fired by
the patriots at Concord as "the shot heard round the world.”
Tension had been building between Britain and the American Colonies for more than 10 years before the
Revolutionary War began. Starting in the mid-1760's, the British government passed a series of laws to increase
its control over the colonies. Americans had grown used to a large measure of self-government. They strongly
resisted the new laws, especially tax laws. Fierce debate developed over the British Parliament's right to tax the
colonies without their consent.
The disobedience of the American Colonies angered the British
government. In 1775, Britain's Parliament declared Massachusetts—
the site of much protest—to be in rebellion. The British government
ordered its troops in Boston to take swift action against the rebels. The
Revolutionary War broke out soon afterward.
The American Colonies were unprepared for war. They lacked a
central government, an army, and a navy. Delegates from the colonies Figure 1 Revolutionary War Reenactment
formed the Continental Congress, which took on the duties of a
national government. The Congress directed the war effort and voted to
organize an army and a navy. It appointed George Washington commander in
chief of the colonial army, called the Continental Army. Washington was a
wealthy Virginia landowner and former militia officer. On July 4, 1776—more
than a year after the start of the Revolutionary War—the Congress adopted the
Declaration of Independence. In that document, the colonies declared their
freedom from British rule.
Figure 2 The signing of the Declaration of
Independence
Britain launched a huge land and sea effort to crush the revolution. Britain had
a far larger and better-trained army than did the Americans. However, Britain
had to transport and supply its army across the Atlantic Ocean and pacify a vast territory. Although the British won
many battles, they gained little from their victories. The American patriots were able to form new forces and fight
on.
In 1777, the Americans won an important victory at Saratoga, New York. The victory convinced France that the
Americans could win the war. As a result, France went to war against Britain, its long-time enemy. France
provided the Americans with the money and military equipment they badly needed to fight the war.
In October 1781, a large British force surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. That defeat led the British
government to begin peace talks with the Americans. The Treaty of Paris formally ended the war in 1783.
Timeline
On March 5, 1770, a mob surrounds a British sentry outside the Boston Custom House. The soldier calls for help.
Seven or eight soldiers arrive, but the crowd will not disperse. A shot is fired, and then more shots. Five colonists
die, and six are wounded. The "Boston Massacre" becomes a rallying cry for those opposed to British rule.
On Dec. 16, 1773, 50 colonists dressed as Mohawk Indians dump 45 tons
of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the British tax on tea. This became
known as the “Boston Tea Party.”
On March 31, 1774, Britain's Parliament retaliates for the Boston Tea Party
by passing the first of the "Intolerable Acts." The first act is to blockade
Boston Harbor until the tax on the destroyed tea is paid.
The First Continental Congress begins meeting in Philadelphia
on Sept. 5, 1774. Every colony but Georgia is represented. Congress declares that the "Intolerable Acts" are not
to be obeyed and supports the formation of local militias.
Figure 3 Boston Tea Party
On the night of April 18, 1775, Paul Revere and William Dawes ride out of Boston to warn
local militias that British regulars are on the march to seize munitions and arrest rebel
leaders in Concord, Mass. On April 19, redcoats and Colonists skirmish on Lexington
Green and at a bridge in Concord. The Revolutionary War has begun.
In June 1776, the Continental Congress, still in Philadelphia, begins work on a Declaration
of Independence from Britain. On July 4, Congress adopts the Declaration. Delegates
begin adding their signatures to the official copy in August.
Figure 4 Paul Revere's Ride
After a series of defeats in the fall, General Washington's troops retreat across the Delaware
River to Pennsylvania. On Christmas Day, 1776, Washington and his men recross the
Delaware. They surprise and quickly defeat British Hessian mercenaries.
Figure 5 George
Washington
France, a United States ally since February, declares war on England on July 10, 1778.
On Sept. 23, 1779, John Paul Jones fights the Royal Navy frigate Serapis off the British coast.
Though Jones's ship is on fire and sinking, he refuses the British captain's demand to surrender. "I have not yet
begun to fight," he replies. Three hours later, the Serapis surrenders to him.
After a disastrous 1780, with defeats, near-mutiny, and Benedict Arnold's betrayal, the Continental Army's
fortunes change. In the climactic battle of the war, French and American troops force the surrender of Lord
Cornwallis's 9,000 soldiers at Yorktown, Pa., on Oct. 19, 1781.
Peace talks begin in Paris in April 1782. Some fighting remains. The Treaty of Paris is signed in November. The
US Congress declares the war over on April 11, 1783.