American Revolution

Revolutionary War

The revolutionary war was also know as the American revolution. The revolutionary war began in in 1775 and ended in its cessation in 1783. British soldiers and American patriots fought at Lexington, Massachusetts and nearby Concord. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris ended the war. Great Britain was forced to recognize the independence of the 13 colonies of the United States.

The Revolutionary War in America led to the birth of a new nation. The war began on April 19, 1775 with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

For about a decade, tension had been mounting between Great Britain and the American Colonies. The British government had passed a series of laws in an attempt to increase control over the colonies. But Americans had become used to having control over their local government. They objected to the new laws and protested being taxed without their consent. In 1775, Britain's Parliament declared Massachusetts, the center of most of the protests, to be in rebellion. British troops were placed in Boston to take swift action against the rebels. Shortly afterwards, war broke out.

The Colonies were largely unprepared for war. They lacked a central government and had neither an organized army or navy. Delegates from the colonies formed the first Continental Congress, which took on the duties of a national government. Congress directed the war effort and voted to organize an army and a navy. George Washington, a wealthy Virginia landowner and former military officer, was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army. On July 4, 1776, the Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, in which the colonies declared their freedom from British rule.

Tension had been building between Great Britain and the American