The Revolutionary War (1775-1783)

Origins of the conflict

The land question: after the French and Indian War, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 guaranteed to the Native tribes that colonization would stop at the Appalachian Mountains. This fostered resentment among colonists.
To pay for the war, the British parliament voted a series of new taxes upon the American colonies:

• 1764: The Sugar act put taxes on sugar-related products, coffee and other imported products;
• 1765: the Stamp act put a tax on printed documents;
• 1767: the Townshend acts put taxes on paint, glass and tea.

The taxes were very unpopular in part because the colonies had no representation in parliament. All the new taxes were eventually repealed to avoid further unrest.

Unrest in the Colonies

Boston Massacre: colonists threw snowballs at British soldiers who shot 5 civilians dead on March 5th 1770.
Patrick Henry: “Give me liberty or give me death!” (1770)
Boston Tea Party (1773): The Sons of Liberty, disguised as Mohawks, dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act.
Intolerable Acts: as a response, the British parliament imposed coercive measures on the colonies.

First Continental Congress (1774)

They asked for colonists to have the same rights as British citizens.
They asked for representation in parliament.
All the colonies except Georgia sent delegates to Philadelphia.
The petition that was sent was basically ignored in Britain.

Political discussion during the Enlightenment period

The influence of John Locke and Montesquieu: the philosophers proposed the idea of government based on the will of the people, the separation of powers and the rights of the individual as the basis for society.
Common Sense (Thomas Paine) (1776): The pamphlet, written in an accessible language, defends the idea that the colonies should be independent.
It also criticizes the idea of monarchy by divine right and proposes a first model for a republican constitution.

Start of armed conflict

• First skirmishes: Battle of Lexington and Concord (April 19th 1775)
• Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17th 1775)
• Crossing of the Delaware by George Washington (December 26, 1776)

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. It was signed on August 2nd 1776 but dated July 4th 1776.

French intervention

The marquis of Lafayette insisted to bring help to the colonies.
The French navy gave the American forces support on sea.
France recognized American independence in 1778.

End of the conflict

Battle of Yorktown (1781) is considered as the final battle between American and British forces.
Treaty of Paris (negotiated by Benjamin Franklin) officially ended the war and established the USA as a sovereign nation in 1783.

Establishment of the Republic

The Articles of Confederation (1781) were the first agreement between the thirteen colonies to cooperate and served as a first constitution. It created a weak central government and left most of the power to the states.
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia (1787) was convened to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. The constitution took effect on March 4th, 1789.