The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781), oil on canvas by John Trumbull, completed in 1820; in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C. The painting captures the moment when major fighting during the American Revolution ended and the colonies achieved independence. (more) American Revolution United States history Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　External Websites Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum - American Revolution American Battlefield Trust - American Revolution Timeline Humanities LibreTexts - American Revolution University of Oxford - Faculty of History - American Revolutions Econlib - Benefits of the American Revolution: An Exploration of Positive Externalities History World - The American Revolution Britannica Websites Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. American Revolution - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11) American Revolution - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up) Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Also known as: American Revolutionary War, United States War of Independence, War of Independence Written by Willard M. Wallace Emeritus Professor of History, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut. Author of Appeal to Arms: A Military History of the American Revolution. Willard M. Wallace Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 3, 2025 • Article History Table of Contents Table of Contents Quick Summary Ask the Chatbot a Question Quick Facts Also called: United States War of Independence or American Revolutionary War (Show more) Date: 1775 - September 3, 1783 (Show more) Location: United States (Show more) Participants: Dutch Republic France loyalist Spain United Kingdom United States American colonies (Show more) Major Events: Battle of Brandywine Battle of Bunker Hill Battles of Saratoga Battle of the Chesapeake Battle of Bemis Heights (Show more) Key People: John Adams Benjamin Franklin Alexander Hamilton Thomas Jefferson Jane McCrea (Show more) See all related content Show More { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the American Revolution? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The American Revolutionu2014also called the U.S. War of Independenceu2014was the insurrection fought between 1775 and 1783 through which 13 of Great Britainu2019s North American colonies threw off British rule to establish the sovereign United States of America, founded with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after a long period of salutary neglect, including the imposition of unpopular taxes, had contributed to growing estrangement between the crown and a large and influential segment of colonists who ultimately saw armed rebellion as their only recourse." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What was the first state in the United States? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How did the American Revolution begin? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "On the ground, fighting in the American Revolution began with the skirmishes between British regulars and American provincials on April 19, 1775, first at Lexington, where a British force of 700 faced 77 local minutemen, and then at Concord, where an American counterforce of 320 to 400 sent the British scurrying. The British had come to Concord to seize the military stores of the colonists, who had been forewarned of the raid through efficient lines of communicationu2014including the ride of Paul Revere, which is celebrated with poetic license in Longfellowu2019s u201CPaul Revereu2019s Rideu201D (1861)." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " What were the major causes of the American Revolution? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The American Revolution was principally caused by colonial opposition to British attempts to impose greater control over the colonies and to make them repay the crown for its defense of them during the French and Indian War (1754u201363). Britain did this primarily by imposing a series of deeply unpopular laws and taxes, including the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the so-called Intolerable Acts (1774)." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " Which countries fought on the side of the colonies during the American Revolution? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Until early in 1778, the American Revolution was a civil war within the British Empire, but it became an international war as France (in 1778) and Spain (in 1779) joined the colonies against Britain. The Netherlands, which was engaged in its own war with Britain, provided financial support for the Americans as well as official recognition of their independence. The French navy in particular played a key role in bringing about the British surrender at Yorktown, which effectively ended the war." } } , { "@type" : "Question", "name" : " How was the American Revolution a civil war? ", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "In the early stages of the rebellion by the American colonists, most of them still saw themselves as English subjects who were being denied their rights as such. u201CTaxation without representation is tyranny,u201D James Otis reportedly said in protest of the lack of colonial representation in Parliament. What made the American Revolution look most like a civil war, though, was the reality that about one-third of the colonists, known as loyalists (or Tories), continued to support and fought on the side of the crown." } } ] } Top Questions What was the American Revolution? 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. British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after a long period of salutary neglect, including the imposition of unpopular taxes, had contributed to growing estrangement between the crown and a large and influential segment of colonists who ultimately saw armed rebellion as their only recourse.

　　What was the first state in the United States? Delaware was the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.

　　How did the American Revolution begin? On the ground, fighting in the American Revolution began with the skirmishes between British regulars and American provincials on April 19, 1775, first at Lexington, where a British force of 700 faced 77 local minutemen, and then at Concord, where an American counterforce of 320 to 400 sent the British scurrying. The British had come to Concord to seize the military stores of the colonists, who had been forewarned of the raid through efficient lines of communication—including the ride of Paul Revere, which is celebrated with poetic license in Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” (1861).

　　What were the major causes of the American Revolution? The American Revolution was principally caused by colonial opposition to British attempts to impose greater control over the colonies and to make them repay the crown for its defense of them during the French and Indian War (1754–63). Britain did this primarily by imposing a series of deeply unpopular laws and taxes, including the Sugar Act (1764), the Stamp Act (1765), and the so-called Intolerable Acts (1774).

　　Which countries fought on the side of the colonies during the American Revolution? Until early in 1778, the American Revolution was a civil war within the British Empire, but it became an international war as France (in 1778) and Spain (in 1779) joined the colonies against Britain. The Netherlands, which was engaged in its own war with Britain, provided financial support for the Americans as well as official recognition of their independence. The French navy in particular played a key role in bringing about the British surrender at Yorktown, which effectively ended the war.

　　How was the American Revolution a civil war? In the early stages of the rebellion by the American colonists, most of them still saw themselves as English subjects who were being denied their rights as such. “Taxation without representation is tyranny,” James Otis reportedly said in protest of the lack of colonial representation in Parliament. What made the American Revolution look most like a civil war, though, was the reality that about one-third of the colonists, known as loyalists (or Tories), continued to support and fought on the side of the crown.

　　News • A Boy Found a Shipwreck on a Scottish Beach. It Turned Out to Be a 250-Year-Old Warship From the American Revolution • July 30, 2025, 2:50 AM ET (Smithsonian Magazine) ...(Show more) Shipwreck found by schoolboy on Scottish island identified as Revolutionary War frigate later used to hunt whales in Arctic • July 23, 2025, 11:16 PM ET (CBS) Show less The American Revolution was an insurrection carried out by 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies that began in 1775 and ended with a peace treaty in 1783. The colonies won political independence and went on to form the United States of America. The war followed more than a decade of growing estrangement between the British crown and a large and influential segment of its North American colonies that was caused by British attempts to assert greater control over colonial affairs after having long adhered to a policy of salutary neglect. Until early in 1778 the conflict was a civil ...(100 of 6022 words)

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