The American War of Independence/American Revolution was a conflict between Britain and its 13
colonies in North America. The revolution was started by due to a battle between British soldiers
and American patriots. A war was declared by the representatives for the 13 colonies due to the
taxing of their goods by the British and their representation in Parliament. They called this “taxation
without representation.”
3 different acts were passed that further taxed the 13 colonies and further asserted the right of
Britain to tax the colonies however they wanted. In 1773, in protest of the regulations on tea the
residents of Boston defied the act by dumping hundreds of pounds of British tea into Boston Harbor.
This event became known as the Boston Tea Party. As a result of this, the British Parliament
responded with the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were meant to punish the colonies for the
dumping of British tea. This only further enraged the colonies, and it led to the first conflict.
“On the evening of April 18, 1775, 700 British troops formed ranks on Boston Common, with orders
to seize the colonial armoury at Concord. By the time the infantrymen arrived in Lexington at
approximately 5:00 AM, 77 minutemen were among those who had assembled on the village green.
Officers on both sides ordered their men to hold their positions but not to fire their weapons. It is
unclear who fired “the shot heard ’round the world,” but it sparked a skirmish that left eight
Americans dead.” This would be the shot that started the American War of Independence and lead
to the creation of the United States.
The Declaration of Independence is a document that was approved by the Continental Congress on
July 4, 1776, and it declared the freedom of the 13 colonies from Britain.
On the 6th of February 1778, with the signing in Paris of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the
Treaty of Alliance, the Franco-American alliance was formalized. France began preparing fleets and
armies to enter the fight but did not formally declare war on Britain until June 1778.
The Siege of Yorktown was a battle between the 28th of September and October 19th, 1781. It was a
decisive victory for the Americans and effectively won them independence.
On the 3rd of September 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the American War of
Independence. Britain recognized the independence of the 13 colonies, giving them a copious
amount of land that extended across most of the continent, with exception of Canada.