The American Revolution was an event of sweeping worldwide importance. A costly Why the War Came war that lasted from 1775 to 1783 secured American independence and allowed new The American colonists did not embrace independence time imposed a direct tax-the stamp tax (1765)-on the approaches to self-government to develop. At its core, the war pitted colonists who easily. Most of them were of British ancestry. They spoke Americans. Colonial resistance to the new taxes only wanted independence and the creation of a republic against the power of the British English and traded mainly w ith Britain and other British stiffened Parliament's insistence on its right to govern the crown, which wanted to keep its empire w hole. At certain times and in certain places, colonies. Most shared the m other country's Protestant colonists "in all cases whatsoever." Even after fighting religious tradition. The Americans' pride in being British began at Lexington and Concord, Mass., in April 1775, Americans fought other Americans in what became a civil war. From the family whose reached a high point in 1763, with Britain's great vict ory the Continental Congress petitioned King George Ill for farm was raided, to the merchant who could not trade or the slave who entered Brit­ in the Seven Years' War (known in America as the French redress and insisted that the colonists wanted to remain ish lines on the promise of freedom, everyone had a stake in the outcome. To learn and Indian War). That victory gained Britain w hat had within the empire-but only as free men. The king re­ been French Canada and all territory east of t he Missis­ sponded by pronouncing the colonies to be in rebellion, more about these and other aspects of the Revolution, including the revolutionary ex­ si ppi River, in cluding Span ish Florida. Heavily in debt as and Congress decided it had no alternative to proclaim­ periences of loyalists (colonists who supported Britain), women, Indians, and African a result of the war, Britain decided to keep an army in ing independence. On July 4, 1776, it declared that the Americans, visit the National Park Service Revolutionary War website: www.nps.gov/ America to secure her new possessions and looked t o "united colonies" were henceforth "free and independent the colonists to help pay for it. The British Parliament states." Making good on this declaration, however, re­ revwar. Information about NPS Revolutionary War parks can also be found at t his site. approved new taxes on colonial imports and for the first quired a military victory over Britain. Medford Wim ismmet 0 OVA 1775 Quebec., Pvnkafasset Hll SCOT l A · No rth Bl oody Grand Portage • Bridcie Angle Hartwell ~Apr19 T775 ~= Ta\'et' _ fu!d Manse o. Boston Meri am's Brooks : ~;~~~~~- Corner Hill Washington's headquarters• .._,l'J {J(J rchesler (Yassall House) Cambridge ~" Boston Heights · South July I 775-Apr 1776 Bridge ,,..~ Neck Bridge CHIPPEWA AL GONKIN Fort Michilimackinac 0 Nb<th J Roxbury o ~ 0===2--_ '""' Watertown O' \.::/ , ...... / Brookfina-o- MENOMINEE OTTAWA La Baye0 Montrear 0 Wh ite Plains>ffmwh·t Pl . 1776 (Cha trerton HJ/)~ ' e ams 1777 ~ WINNEBAGO Oct 281776 0 Saint Johns ~ lb 0 Dobbs Ferry CHIPPEWA "' QUEBEC " ~ I ..)Vl '"J "'e 1• QU t; BE;: C "" NEW "' N E lfv New Rochelle 0 Lake Fort DetroitO SAC JERSEY ;{ YQRL<" ~= Champ/am IOWA East Chester 0 Pelf's Point Saint Joseph 0 Fort Lee • King's Bndge Nov20 1776 Fort Wash ington POTAWATOMI OV 16 1716 ADIRONDACK MIAMI WYAND OT Throg's PENNSYL v' AN Noel< Fort Crown Point MOUNTAINS • M O RA V1AN -o Pittsburgh Fort Ticonderoga ° Flushing July61777 MIN GO 0 . ~Hubb a rdton New York City Bushw1ck LAKE Lake George ~ July7 1 777 WEA DELAWARE Paulus Hool< • ® / Brooklyn 0 l'i G ONTARIO Fort Anne Brooklyn He1gh ts •o ~ \af\d L July 8 1777 KICKAPOO f SHAWNEE LOUI S IA N A Red Hook • e\{f!;t Lo'?.g !sfand • Fort c>s...vego Fort Stanwix • Fort Edward -"' PIANKASHAW Fl atb ~sh O Aug2f-291776 Aug 3-23 1111 Sa rato ~~Free man F arm ept 19 1777 ° Flatlands Mot'BWK B H . ht ~~ S TA TEN Lal<. e • em 1s e1g Benninyton ILL/NI One1da Oriskany Fort Dayton Oct 71777 ~ Aug 16 1 77 ISLA ND Aug61777 ~ Al banyO g OSAGE ATLA T1 MASS Af\ Sandy Hook SHAWNEE No rth 1 o Kilometers (f) 0 10 Miles ---""--~ NEW YORK O t ~ NA Cape Hatteras ~ CONN ®New Bern " By 1775, Britain's North American colo­ ~ Fort Montgomery e Cape Lookout Fort Clinton • 0 t11foor8'S Creek Bndge nies were an important and thriving part PENNSYLVANIA Stony Point• Wi lmingt on 0 of the Atlantic trading system, closely 0 s runswick CHICKASAW NEW CapcF= linked by sea routes to Europe, Africa, Morristown NG 1sLAtJD 0 Arkansas Post0 and the West Indies. Trade among the ~ Ne wL~o rk Citv J E R S E Y : loovcs July 5 1777' Georgetown colonies was also mostly waterborne, Pri.n ceto··.n •. For. ..,.,, ATLA TI C OCEAI\ CADDO while primitive roads linked major set­ Whitemarsh Jan 3 1777 ~ Charleston Dec 5-8 1777 Tre nton ! tlements, at a time when five miles per Doe 25-26 17 16 : CHOCTAW hour was a rapid rate of travel. Among the 2\f million British subje ts were o- Brandywi . York SeptP-11 1777 470,000 African Americans, 95 percent Fort Mifflin WEST FLOR I DA Nov 16 1777 Head of Elk 9 of them enslaved. West of the more amves Aug 25 1n7 -ff heavily populated areas, Indian tribes •• • 0 Mobile ·" (1i 0 were feeling increased pressure to give : \" 8 Pensacola SEMIN OLE 0s aint M arks ., Saint Augustine MAR Yf LA N Ll ~ t' up land to white settlers . ® . z. Ann apo~ s Y' EA S T Map Legend : 0 ">l ~ "$ ~ ~ Thirteen colonies Thirteen colonies: area where more than ... (,I) F-LORIDA 30% of population is ··~ A(LANTIS ~ Thirteen colonies: of African-American ·. ,,, r::::==1 Proclamation of 1763 descent '.' OCFAN boundary .. ... GULF O F MEXICO : ~ r---1 Other British [-====:J Selected colonial L____J colonies ~ roa d s VI R G:INIA . ~ Spanish colonies r::::==1 1775 colonial . r::::==1 boundary )... %: ~ ~ Indian tribal r:-----1 Modern boundary .. ® .. ~ name and area [____J (included for W11J 1amsburg '. reference only) Left: the British "Brown Bess," the most common Nor1h ~ Colonial capital '% \, ...Cape Charles North musket of the Revolution. Above: typical canteens 50 Kilometers 0 If' 0~=""1"'00==""200""=K=ilom=e=te "'~ used by Continental soldiers. 't' 0 Cape Henry (f) '-!.../ 100 200 Miles Norfolk 50 Miles 1763-1774 From Protest to Revolt 1775 The War Begins 1776-1777 The War's Early Stages Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War ended her con­ enforce the duties only added to the tensions. Ill will In April 1775, General Gage sent troops to seize colo­ The year 1776 started badly for the colonists, who suf­ ping the downward spiral. Soon Washi ngton's army test with France over North America but began a new between civilians and British troops led to an incident nial military suppli es in Lexi ngton and Concord, west fered a bitter defeat at Quebec, dashing hopes of draw ­ went into winter quarters at Morri stown, N.J. conflict with her colonies. Many colonists questioned on March 5, 1770, when British troops fired on an un­ of Boston. The military clashes there and along the ing Canadians into the conflict and opening the north­ Britain's decision to keep an army in postwar America, ruly mob, killing fi ve people. Local radicals called it the British retreat route began what became the Revolu­ ern frontier to attack. In February, however, American In 1777, Britain tried to isolate radical New England and almost all of them opposed Parl iament 's effort to "Boston Massacre. " In that same year, Parliament re­ tionary War. News of the fighting spread quickly, and supporters crushed loyalist forces at M oores Creek from the other colonies by sending a force under Gen. finance that army by taxing colonists. They petitioned pealed all of the Townshend duties except that on tea. volunteer soldiers rushed to a provincial camp in Cam­ Bridge, N.C. In late March, the cannon from Ticonder­ John Burgoyne down from Canada to Albany via the against the 1764 Sugar Act, which imposed import du­ In 1773, Parliament passed a Tea Act designed to help bridge, Mass. Soon this force laid siege to the British oga all owed the Continental Army to force the British Hudson River. Troops under Gen . Howe sai led from ties, and the 1765 Stamp Act, which imposed direct the British East India Company sell tea in America at a army in Boston, at that time a peninsula with just one out of Boston, and in June, American forces repulsed a New York toward Philadelphia, by way of the Chesa­ taxes on the sale of playing cards, dice, newspapers, competitive price. Colonists in some ports forced tea narrow link to the mainland. Meanwhile, other colonial British attack on Charleston, S.C. In June an d July, the peake Bay. After capturing Philadelphia, Howe was un­ and various legal documents. Parliament could not tax ships to return to Britain without unloading. That strat­ forces captured Forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point in British began assembling one of the largest naval and able to reinforce Burgoyne, who surrendered his much­ them, the colonists insisted, because they had no rep­ egy failed in Boston, so a crowd thinly disguised as New York, seizing valuable military supplies.