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US History: Colonial Era to the Present · Module 2 of 15

The American Revolution

From colonial protest to independence: the causes, the fighting, and the peace that followed.

In this module
  1. Causes of the Revolution
  2. Key Events: Lexington to the Declaration
  3. Fighting the War & Foreign Alliances
  4. The Treaty of Paris & Its Aftermath
  5. Check yourself

Causes of the Revolution

  • British taxes (Stamp Act 1765, Townshend Acts 1767) and enforcement measures (the Intolerable Acts of 1774, following the Boston Tea Party) escalated colonial resistance.
  • Enlightenment ideas — natural rights, government by consent, the social contract (Locke) — gave colonists an intellectual framework for challenging British authority.
Worked example

How did Enlightenment ideas support the colonists' argument for independence?

Solution. Enlightenment thinkers like Locke argued government exists to protect natural rights and derives its authority from the consent of the governed; colonists used this to argue Britain had broken that contract and lost its legitimate authority over them.

Key Events: Lexington to the Declaration

  • The battles of Lexington and Concord (April 1775) were the first military engagements of the war.
  • The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776), largely written by Thomas Jefferson, formally announced the colonies' break from Britain, citing natural rights and a list of grievances against the king.
Worked example

What was the main purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

Solution. To formally declare the American colonies independent from Great Britain and justify that decision to the world, based on natural rights and specific grievances against King George III.

Fighting the War & Foreign Alliances

  • The Continental Army, led by George Washington, struggled early on but gained a crucial advantage after France formally allied with the Americans following the American victory at Saratoga (1777).
  • French money, troops, and naval support were decisive in helping the Americans ultimately defeat Britain.
Worked example

Why was the Battle of Saratoga (1777) a turning point in the Revolutionary War?

Solution. The American victory convinced France that the colonists could actually win, leading France to formally ally with America and provide crucial military and financial support.

The Treaty of Paris & Its Aftermath

  • The war effectively ended with the British surrender at Yorktown (1781); the Treaty of Paris (1783) formally ended the war and recognized American independence.
  • The treaty also granted the new United States significant western territory, extending to the Mississippi River.
Worked example

What did the Treaty of Paris (1783) accomplish?

Solution. It formally ended the Revolutionary War, with Britain recognizing American independence and ceding territory extending west to the Mississippi River.

Check yourself

2 of this module's 5 quiz questions. Pick your answers, then check them in the app, with an explanation for every question.

1. What Enlightenment idea most directly justified American independence?

2. What were the first military engagements of the Revolutionary War?

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