The American Revolution—also called the U.S. War of Independence—was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of
Great Britain’s
North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America, founded with the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
What were the American colonists fighting for?
The colonists fought the British because they wanted to be free from Britain. They fought the British
because of unfair taxes
. They fought because they didn’t have self-government. When the American colonies formed, they were part of Britain.
Who were the colonists rebelling against?
There was a rebellion of the colonial gentry against
British aristocrats
who refused to accept them as equals and who viewed them with condescension. There was also a rebellion by merchants and shippers who chafed at British trade restrictions and royal monopolies.
What King did America rebel against?
The colonies united in the Continental Congress to protest the Coercive Acts. Two years later, the congress declared independence. Early in 1776,
King George
consented to the hiring of thousands of Hessian mercenaries to assist the British troops already in America in crushing the rebellion.
Who fought with the 13 colonies against England?
The American Revolutionary War
was a war fought between Great Britain and the original Thirteen Colonies in North America from 1775 to 1783. Most of the fighting was in North America and other places. The Continental Army, the rebel army, was led by George Washington and helped by France and Spain.
Why did America rebel against England?
The King and Parliament believed
they had the right to tax the colonies
. … Many colonists felt that they should not pay these taxes, because they were passed in England by Parliament, not by their own colonial governments. They protested, saying that these taxes violated their rights as British citizens.
Why did American colonists rebel against the British?
WHY DID THE COLONISTS REVOLT? The people who had settled in North America valued personal freedom. Many of them had left Europe because of their strong religious or political views. They
protested when the British government imposed taxes on them without consulting the local governing bodies of the colonies
.
What are 3 reasons colonists came to America?
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL REASONS: A BETTER LIFE Most colonists had faced difficult lives in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, or Germany. They came to the Americas to
escape poverty, warfare, political turmoil, famine and disease
. They believed colonial life offered new opportunities.
How did the United States win the Revolutionary war?
After French assistance helped the
Continental Army force the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia
, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
What were the original 13 states of the United States?
The United States of America initially consisted of 13 states that had been British colonies until their independence was declared in 1776 and verified by the Treaty of Paris in 1783:
New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
…
What made King George mad?
Historians and scientists have long struggled to identify the cause of King George’s famous “madness.” Back in 1969, a study published in Scientific American suggested he had
porphyria
, an inherited blood disorder that can cause anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, confusion, paranoia and hallucinations.
How many British were killed in the Revolutionary War?
Unreliable imperial data places the total casualties for British regulars fighting in the Revolutionary War
around 24,000 men
. This total number includes battlefield deaths and injuries, deaths from disease, men taken prisoner, and those who remained missing.
How old is America?
The founding fathers sealed the declaration on 4 July 1776 and that makes the country 244 years
old
as of today.
How did Britain lose America?
At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775, the British Empire included 23 colonies and territories on the North American continent.
The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended
the war, and Britain lost much of this territory to the newly formed United States.
Who helped America defeat the British?
The main ally for the British during the war was
Germany
. Britain hired German mercenaries called Hessians to fight for them against the colonists. One of the key generals in the Continental Army was the Frenchman Marquis de Lafayette.
Did only 3% of colonists fight the British?
At no time did more than 45 percent of colonists support the war, and
at least a third
of colonists fought for the British. Unlike the Civil War, which pitted regions against each other, the war of independence pitted neighbor against neighbor.
