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What Was the American Revolution?

M. Dee Dubroff
M. Dee Dubroff

The revolt of the American colonies against the yoke of their mother country in 1776 brought about the political movement and war known as the American Revolution. This war marked other transitions in political thought as well, most notably the growth of new republican ideals, which clashed with the traditional and formerly English set of values.

In the wake of the Revolutionary War, at the Treaty of Paris in 1783, a new nation, the United States of America, was created, although the seeds had been planted some 20 years earlier. In 1763, as the result of the treaty ending the French and Indian War, France lost its military hold over the American colonies and all of its North American possessions east of the Mississippi River with the exception of two small islands off the coast of Newfoundland.

Colonial forces consisted of the Continental Army and citizen militias during the American Revolution.
Colonial forces consisted of the Continental Army and citizen militias during the American Revolution.

Colonial alienation from England, the primary cause of the conflict, grew as a smoldering flame of resentment starting with the different taxes imposed on the 13 colonies without representation, particularly the Stamp Act of 1765. Britain’s unfair practice of taxing its North American colonies in order to defray the costs of its past European wars resulted in eventual separation from the mother country. The American Revolution technically began on 19 April 1775 at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and ended in 1783.

Other revolutions, like the French Revolution, were inspired by the American Revolution.
Other revolutions, like the French Revolution, were inspired by the American Revolution.

Historians differ as to the interpretation of the ramifications of the war on modern political thought. There are some who feel that the American Revolution merely supplanted a distant political ethic with a more localized one, while others claim that it profoundly transformed the political thinking of the day concerning the growth of republicanism and the natural rights of all mankind.

The American Revolution enabled the colonists to gain their freedom from England.
The American Revolution enabled the colonists to gain their freedom from England.

No matter how one feels about the Revolution, there can be no question that it affected world thinking and influenced subsequent revolutions in France, Haiti, Latin America, Ireland and the Netherlands. It provides the rest of the world to this very day with a working model of liberal thought. In its aftermath are the cries of every nation that stands up for its rights and defies the powers of its oppressor.

Discussion Comments

youbiKan

I love to participate in the American Revolutionary war reenactments that happen in clubs across the United States. The greatness of the American militia is something that should be passed down to our later generations and it is crucial that we appreciate the importance of small militia groups in the actual fighting of the war.

So much value has been lost when studying the American Revolutionary war. Education about America militia groups should be implemented into the lesson plans of our American students.

These militia groups often called Minutemen are who we have to thank for saving our original colonies from the imposing British forces. Because America did not have an organized army these groups were our first line of defense.

JoseJames

As a teacher I have to deal with a lot of interesting parts of the American revolutionary war lesson plans. So many times we have to discuss the realities of war in class and that can be very difficult for the young students to truly comprehend what the effects of this devastating military action can have.

Part of the lessons that we study is the causes of the revolutionary war and the pains and strife that living in a colony meant the settlers of the new world. We discuss the need for independence and the coming together that the colonies experienced. It was of course as the author mentions, the coming together that made this effort toward independence even possible.

Despite these atrocities of death, rape and pillaging that comes with an attacking force, the efforts made by our ancestors in the United States have allowed us to create the incredible world around us.

sammyG

There is no glory in war, for most of us sane people anyway. I do have to say though, there are goosebumps that raise on my arm when I think about the American Revolution. This epic of all epic wars that shaped the very contours of our political and civil life, is the story of glory to be told.

The creation of the new world and then it's solidification as a political entity by this very bloody war is what was needed to pave the way of our founding fathers developing the most advanced democracy the world has ever seen.

I wonder if the American revolutionary war will always be seen in this light or if history will not fail us and someone down the line will change the history books to suit their desired political need.

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    • Colonial forces consisted of the Continental Army and citizen militias during the American Revolution.
      By: Puravida9
      Colonial forces consisted of the Continental Army and citizen militias during the American Revolution.
    • Other revolutions, like the French Revolution, were inspired by the American Revolution.
      By: illustrez-vous
      Other revolutions, like the French Revolution, were inspired by the American Revolution.
    • The American Revolution enabled the colonists to gain their freedom from England.
      By: macropixel
      The American Revolution enabled the colonists to gain their freedom from England.
    • Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian military officer who helped train and drill the Continental Army.
      By: nickolae
      Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben was a Prussian military officer who helped train and drill the Continental Army.
    • The date of American Independence is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty's tablet.
      By: vlad_g
      The date of American Independence is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty's tablet.
    • Fireworks are used in celebrations of the American Revolution.
      By: James Thew
      Fireworks are used in celebrations of the American Revolution.
    • Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" was an influential Revolutionary-era essay.
      By: Popova Olga
      Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" was an influential Revolutionary-era essay.
    • The Treaty of Paris was eventually ratified in France's capital, giving the document its name.
      By: polesnoy
      The Treaty of Paris was eventually ratified in France's capital, giving the document its name.