The Revolutionary War in America
The Revolutionary War in America led to the birth of a new nation - the United States. The war, which is also called the American Revolution, was fought between Great Britain 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.
Tension had been building between Great 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 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, a wealthy Virginia landowner and former military officer, 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.
Great 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. Although the British won many battles, they gained little from their victories. The American patriots could always 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.
Excerpt adapted from the "Revolutionary War in America" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999