American Revolution - Causes, Battles, Aftermath, Facts & Maps

Until the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763, few colonists in British North America objected to their place in the British Empire.

American Revolution, also called United States War of Independence or American Revolutionary War, (1775–83), insurrection by which 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. 

When did the American Revolution begin?

Though preceded by years of unrest and periodic violence, the Revolutionary War began in earnest on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord. The conflict lasted a total of seven years, with the major American victory at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781 marking the end of hostilities, although some fighting took place through the fall of 1783. See the complete details of revolutionary war here - american revolutionary war map

What were the causes of the Revolution?

Through aiding the American colonists during the French and Indian War, the British government amassed an enormous debt thanks to the cost of raising, supplying, and funding an army on foreign soil. Expecting the Americans to shoulder some of the financial burden, Parliament levied several acts of taxation as a means to soften the blow.

The Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the Townshend Acts (1767) were merely some of the unpopular pieces of legislation placed upon the American colonies for the purpose of raising funds to pay the French and Indian War debt.

Years of unrest and discord followed. The Americans maintained that Parliament could make laws, but insisted only their elected representatives could tax them. The English felt that Parliament had supreme authority over the colonies.

Where were the battles fought?

The majority of the war was fought in New York, New Jersey, and South Carolina, with more than 200 separate skirmishes and battles occurring in each of these three colonies. However, engagements were fought in every one of the original thirteen colonies, with additional military actions taking place in the modern-day states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, and Florida.

1780-1783: Final Victory - Joining Forces for One Last Attack

In 1780, a 5,500-man French expeditionary force under Comte de Rochambeau landed at Newport, Rhode Island. Washington devised a plan to feign an attack on New York, which would enable Rochambeau to join forces with the Continental Army. The combined force would join with troops commanded by the Marquis de Lafayette and attack Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. Cornwallis had maneuvered his forces into the Tidewater Region expecting to be evacuated by the British Navy. 

The evacuation did not happen because Comte de Grasse’s naval forces defeated the British fleet sent for relief during the Battle of the Chesapeake. Washington then led his combined force in laying siege to Yorktown in late September 1781. The surrender of Cornwallis and his army in October of that year convinced the British government to negotiate an end to the war and recognize America’s independence. The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, which marked the end of the Revolutionary War.