what was the revolutionary war essay

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Revolutionary War

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: October 29, 2009

The Revolutionary War (1775-83), also known as the American Revolution, arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown.

Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence.

France entered the American Revolution on the side of the colonists in 1778, turning what had essentially been a civil war into an international conflict. 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 did not formally end until 1783.

Causes of the Revolutionary War

For more than a decade before the outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775, tensions had been building between colonists and the British authorities.

The French and Indian War , or Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), brought new territories under the power of the crown, but the expensive conflict lead to new and unpopular taxes. Attempts by the British government to raise revenue by taxing the colonies (notably the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Acts of 1767 and the Tea Act of 1773) met with heated protest among many colonists, who resented their lack of representation in Parliament and demanded the same rights as other British subjects. 

Colonial resistance led to violence in 1770, when British soldiers opened fire on a mob of colonists, killing five men in what was known as the Boston Massacre . After December 1773, when a band of Bostonians altered their appearance to hide their identity boarded British ships and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party , an outraged Parliament passed a series of measures (known as the Intolerable, or Coercive Acts ) designed to reassert imperial authority in Massachusetts .

Did you know? Now most famous as a traitor to the American cause, General Benedict Arnold began the Revolutionary War as one of its earliest heroes, helping lead rebel forces in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.

In response, a group of colonial delegates (including George Washington of Virginia , John and Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, Patrick Henry of Virginia and John Jay of New York ) met in Philadelphia in September 1774 to give voice to their grievances against the British crown. This First Continental Congress did not go so far as to demand independence from Britain, but it denounced taxation without representation, as well as the maintenance of the British army in the colonies without their consent. It issued a declaration of the rights due every citizen, including life, liberty, property, assembly and trial by jury. The Continental Congress voted to meet again in May 1775 to consider further action, but by that time violence had already broken out. 

On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord, Massachusetts in order to seize an arms cache. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoats. On April 19, local militiamen clashed with British soldiers in the Battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, marking the “shot heard round the world” that signified the start of the Revolutionary War. 

HISTORY Vault: The Revolution

From the roots of the rebellion to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, explore this pivotal era in American history through sweeping cinematic recreations.

Declaring Independence (1775-76)

When the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, delegates—including new additions Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson —voted to form a Continental Army, with Washington as its commander in chief. On June 17, in the Revolution’s first major battle, colonial forces inflicted heavy casualties on the British regiment of General William Howe at Breed’s Hill in Boston. The engagement, known as the Battle of Bunker Hill , ended in British victory, but lent encouragement to the revolutionary cause. 

Throughout that fall and winter, Washington’s forces struggled to keep the British contained in Boston, but artillery captured at Fort Ticonderoga in New York helped shift the balance of that struggle in late winter. The British evacuated the city in March 1776, with Howe and his men retreating to Canada to prepare a major invasion of New York.

By June 1776, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, a growing majority of the colonists had come to favor independence from Britain. On July 4 , the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence , drafted by a five-man committee including Franklin and John Adams but written mainly by Jefferson. That same month, determined to crush the rebellion, the British government sent a large fleet, along with more than 34,000 troops to New York. In August, Howe’s Redcoats routed the Continental Army on Long Island; Washington was forced to evacuate his troops from New York City by September. Pushed across the Delaware River , Washington fought back with a surprise attack in Trenton, New Jersey , on Christmas night and won another victory at Princeton to revive the rebels’ flagging hopes before making winter quarters at Morristown.

Saratoga: Revolutionary War Turning Point (1777-78)

British strategy in 1777 involved two main prongs of attack aimed at separating New England (where the rebellion enjoyed the most popular support) from the other colonies. To that end, General John Burgoyne’s army marched south from Canada toward a planned meeting with Howe’s forces on the Hudson River . Burgoyne’s men dealt a devastating loss to the Americans in July by retaking Fort Ticonderoga, while Howe decided to move his troops southward from New York to confront Washington’s army near the Chesapeake Bay. The British defeated the Americans at Brandywine Creek, Pennsylvania , on September 11 and entered Philadelphia on September 25. Washington rebounded to strike Germantown in early October before withdrawing to winter quarters near Valley Forge .

Howe’s move had left Burgoyne’s army exposed near Saratoga, New York, and the British suffered the consequences of this on September 19, when an American force under General Horatio Gates defeated them at Freeman’s Farm in the first Battle of Saratoga . After suffering another defeat on October 7 at Bemis Heights (the Second Battle of Saratoga), Burgoyne surrendered his remaining forces on October 17. The American victory Saratoga would prove to be a turning point of the American Revolution, as it prompted France (which had been secretly aiding the rebels since 1776) to enter the war openly on the American side, though it would not formally declare war on Great Britain until June 1778. The American Revolution, which had begun as a civil conflict between Britain and its colonies, had become a world war.

Stalemate in the North, Battle in the South (1778-81)

During the long, hard winter at Valley Forge, Washington’s troops benefited from the training and discipline of the Prussian military officer Baron Friedrich von Steuben (sent by the French) and the leadership of the French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette . On June 28, 1778, as British forces under Sir Henry Clinton (who had replaced Howe as supreme commander) attempted to withdraw from Philadelphia to New York, Washington’s army attacked them near Monmouth, New Jersey. The battle effectively ended in a draw, as the Americans held their ground, but Clinton was able to get his army and supplies safely to New York. On July 8, a French fleet commanded by the Comte d’Estaing arrived off the Atlantic coast, ready to do battle with the British. A joint attack on the British at Newport, Rhode Island , in late July failed, and for the most part the war settled into a stalemate phase in the North.

The Americans suffered a number of setbacks from 1779 to 1781, including the defection of General Benedict Arnold to the British and the first serious mutinies within the Continental Army. In the South, the British occupied Georgia by early 1779 and captured Charleston, South Carolina in May 1780. British forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis then began an offensive in the region, crushing Gates’ American troops at Camden in mid-August, though the Americans scored a victory over Loyalist forces at King’s Mountain in early October. Nathanael Green replaced Gates as the American commander in the South that December. Under Green’s command, General Daniel Morgan scored a victory against a British force led by Colonel Banastre Tarleton at Cowpens, South Carolina, on January 17, 1781.

Revolutionary War Draws to a Close (1781-83)

By the fall of 1781, Greene’s American forces had managed to force Cornwallis and his men to withdraw to Virginia’s Yorktown peninsula, near where the York River empties into Chesapeake Bay. Supported by a French army commanded by General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Washington moved against Yorktown with a total of around 14,000 soldiers, while a fleet of 36 French warships offshore prevented British reinforcement or evacuation. Trapped and overpowered, Cornwallis was forced to surrender his entire army on October 19. Claiming illness, the British general sent his deputy, Charles O’Hara, to surrender; after O’Hara approached Rochambeau to surrender his sword (the Frenchman deferred to Washington), Washington gave the nod to his own deputy, Benjamin Lincoln, who accepted it.

Though the movement for American independence effectively triumphed at the Battle of Yorktown , contemporary observers did not see that as the decisive victory yet. British forces remained stationed around Charleston, and the powerful main army still resided in New York. Though neither side would take decisive action over the better part of the next two years, the British removal of their troops from Charleston and Savannah in late 1782 finally pointed to the end of the conflict. British and American negotiators in Paris signed preliminary peace terms in Paris late that November, and on September 3, 1783, Great Britain formally recognized the independence of the United States in the Treaty of Paris . At the same time, Britain signed separate peace treaties with France and Spain (which had entered the conflict in 1779), bringing the American Revolution to a close after eight long years.

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"The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis" is an oil painting by John Trumbull. The painting was completed in 1820, and hangs in the rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D. C.

Revolutionary War

American revolution.

The Forging of Our Nation

The Revolutionary War was a war unlike any other — one of ideas and ideals, that shaped “the course of human events.” With 165 principal engagements from 1775-1783, the Revolutionary War was the catalyst for American independence. Our inalienable rights, as laid out in the Declaration of Independence, were secured by George Washington and his army at the Siege of Boston, the American victory at Princeton and the stunning British surrender at Yorktown. Explore the battlefields and personalities from this pivotal time in American history.

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Battle overviews.

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Revolutionary Figures

George Washington

Charles Cornwallis

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Marquis de Lafayette

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Joseph Brant

HoW to Write an Essay on the REvolutionary War

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George Washington's Papers

• During Washington's Life
• After Washington's Death
• Publishing the Papers
• Bibliography

George Washington both produced and received a large number of letters, documents, accounts, and notes during his lifetime. Washington was aware of his special place in the development of the United States and as a famed and beloved military leader and statesman, and was cognizant that his papers would be of interest to future readers. The papers that survive today are available because of the care that Washington took during his lifetime, despite the sometimes careless and destructive handling that they faced after his death.

During Washington's Life Washington was meticulous with the organization and care of his papers. At different points in his life, Washington created letter books (bound volumes with copies of his outgoing and incoming letters), used a letterpress (a device that made direct copies of writing by lifting some of the ink from the page), and even edited his copies of some of his early letters, smoothing grammar and word choice. In addition, throughout his life he hired secretaries, aides-de-camp, clerks, and copyists to assist. 

As early as 1775 during the American Revolution, Washington held the safety of his papers at Mount Vernon second only to the safety of his wife, Martha Washington . George Washington instructed his cousin Lund Washington to provide "for her in Alexandria, or some other place of safety for her and my Papers." 1 As the Revolutionary War progressed and the volume of papers he was creating grew, Washington was concerned for their care, once sending them to Congress in Philadelphia for safekeeping. In 1781 he asked Congress and was allowed to hire a team of clerks to transcribe and organize his letters. Upon his return to Mount Vernon after the war, he hoped "to overhaul & adjust all my papers." 2

As President, Washington and his staff produced many papers. When his second term was finished, Washington had his secretaries remove the papers his successor would need and had them pack the rest to ship to Mount Vernon. During his retirement, Washington wrote that he had devoted his infrequent leisure time "to the arrangement, and overhaul of my voluminous Public Papers—Civil & Military—that, they may go into secure deposits." 3

Washington also planned to erect a building at Mount Vernon especially to store his papers. The building was not constructed by the time of his death. Even on the last day of his life, Washington worried about his papers. His friend and longtime secretary Tobias Lear recorded that, hours before his death, Washington told him, "I find I am going, my breath cannot continue long. . . do you arrange & record all my late Military letters & papers—arrange my accounts & settle my books." 4

After Washington's Death In his will, Washington bequeathed all his civil and military papers, as well as his " private Papers as are worth preserving," to his nephew Bushrod Washington , a U.S. Supreme Court justice. 5 In the months following George Washington’s death, Tobias Lear organized the papers in the former president's office. It may have been at that time that Martha Washington removed and burned her correspondence with her husband. Soon after Bushrod Washington allowed Chief Justice John Marshall to take many of the papers to Richmond while Marshall wrote a biography of the first president. Marshall, however, did not always take sufficient care of the papers. As Justice Washington later noted, “the papers sent to the Chief Justice . . . have been very extensively mutilated by rats and otherwise injured by damp." 6

In addition to Marshall’s poor stewardship, Bushrod Washington allowed several people—including the Marquis de Lafayette and James Madison —to remove their correspondence with the late president. Justice Washington also passed out autographs and other favors from the papers as souvenirs to favor seekers. He allowed William Sprague, his nephews' tutor, to remove more than 1,500 letters on the stipulation that he leave copies in their place.

In January 1827, Bushrod Washington gave editor Jared Sparks permission to publish some of Washington's papers. During his work, Sparks moved many of the papers to Boston and he visited repositories in both the United States and Europe to search for letters and documents not represented in Washington's own papers. Unfortunately he was also free with giving favors of Washington’s handwriting.

When Bushrod Washington died in 1829, he left George Washington's papers to his nephew George Corbin Washington, a Maryland congressman. George Corbin Washington soon moved the papers that remained at Mount Vernon to his office in Georgetown. Governmental officers had often consulted Washington's papers, and in 1833 George Corbin Washington agreed to sell the papers to the State Department, excepting ones he considered to be private. In 1849 he sold the private papers as well. The Washington papers remained at the State Department until 1904, when they were turned over to the Library of Congress. Copies of Washington papers from other repositories and some originals have been added to the collection over the years since the library took possession. In 1964 the Library of Congress released a reproduction of the papers on microfilm, and in 1998 it posted digital images of the papers taken from the microfilm on its Web site.

Publishing the Papers Jared Sparks' The Writings of George Washington was published in eleven volumes between 1833 and 1837. Sparks edited Washington’s words heavily, changing spelling, grammar, phrasing, and at times entire sentences. From 1889 to 1893, historian Worthington Chauncey Ford published a fourteen-volume set of The Writings of George Washington . Later, John C. Fitzpatrick prepared thirty-nine volumes of The Writings of George Washington From the Original Manuscript Sources (1931–1944) as a part of the United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission.

However, no comprehensive or fully annotated version of Washington's papers was attempted until the creation of the Papers of George Washington project in 1968. Sponsored by the University of Virginia and the Mount Vernon Ladies Association and supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the editors and staff procured more than 135,000 copies of Washington documents from repositories worldwide. In their search they included not only letters written by George Washington, but also letters to him, documents, diaries, and financial papers. About half of those documents are from the Library of Congress' Washington Papers collection.

Early in the project the staff divided the work into a set of diaries and five chronological series of correspondence: Colonial, Revolutionary War, Confederation, Presidential, and Retirement, which have been published simultaneously (63 volumes to date). The two largest series, Revolutionary War and Presidential, are still in production, with an estimated twenty-four more volumes to go. The George Washington Papers Digital Edition, created by the Papers staff and University of Virginia's digital imprint, Rotunda, was launched in 2006.

Maria Kimberly Research Assistant, The Papers of George Washington

Notes: 1. "George Washington to Lund Washington, 20 August 1775," The Papers of George Washington, Revolutionary War Series ,  1:335.

2. " George Washington to George William Fairfax, 27 February 1785 ," The Papers of George Washington, Confederation Series , 2:386.

3. " George Washington to James McHenry, 29 July 1798 ," The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series , 2:473.

4. Tobias Lear's Account of Washington's Death, The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series , 4:545.

5. George Washington's Will , The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series , 4:485.

6. "Bushrod Washington to James Madison, 14 September 1819," The Papers of James Madison, Retirement Series , 1:513.

Bibliography: W. W. Abbot, " An Uncommon Awareness of Self: The Papers of George Washington "

The George Washington Papers: Provenance and Publication History .

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The Second American Revolution: Its Impact and Legacy

The problems the united states had with paying debts after the revolutionary war, the boston siege: american revolution war, the context of the american revolutionary war from a historical perspective, the features that contribute to the unique character of the american revolutionary war, the difference between american and french revolutions, the battle of saratoga, insurgency and asymmetric warfare in the american revolutionary war  , joseph plumb martin and his role in the revolutionary war, war on the colonies: french, indian war and american revolution, what influenced the patriots' win in the revolutionary war, causes of the american revolution: political, economic and ideolodical, an analytical dive into the battle of yorktown, women's participation in the american revolutionary war, revolutionary war geographic advantages, valley forge: a test of resilience.

April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783

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Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Bunker Hill, Battle of Monmouth, Battles of Saratoga, Battle of Bemis Heights

United States War of Independence, Revolutionary War

Before the flare-up of the American Revolutionary War, there had been growing tensions and conflicts between the British crown and its thirteen colonies. Attempts by the British government to raise revenue by taxing the colonies met with heated protest among many colonists. The Stamp Act and Townshend Acts provoked colonial opposition and unrest, leading to the 1770 Boston Massacre and 1773 Boston Tea Party.

By June 1776, a growing majority of the colonists had come to favor independence from Britain. On July 4, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence drafted largely by Thomas Jefferson.

In March 1776, the British led by General William Howe retreated to Canada to prepare for a major invasion of New York. A large British fleet was sent to New York with the aim to crush the rebellion. Routed by Howe’s Redcoats on Long Island, Washington’s troops were forced to evacuate from New York City. However, the surprise attack in Trenton and the battle near Princeton, New Jersey after that, marked another small victory for the colonials and revived the flagging hopes of the rebels.

British strategy in 1777 involved two main prongs of attack aimed at separating New England from the other colonies. Following the American victory in Battle of Saratoga, France and America signed treaties of alliance on February 6, 1778, in which France provided America with troops and warships.

On September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by Great Britain and by the United States of America, officially ended the American Revolutionary War.

Britain recognized the United States of America as an independent country. The Constitution was written in 1787 to amend the weak Articles of Confederation and it organized the basic political institutions and formed the three branches of government: judicial, executive, and legislative.

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The American Revolutionary War, also referred to as the American War of Independence, was commenced by the thirteen American protectorates’ delegates in opposition to Great Britain. The thirteen colonies objected to the congress’s taxation guidelines and the absence of colonial representatives. The conflicts between expatriate militiamen and British multitudes started in April 1775 in Lexington. Before beginning the preceding summer, the protesters had instigated an all-out war to gain their liberation. The French offered their support to the Continental militia and compelled the British to capitulate in 1781 at Yorktown, Virginia. Although the Americans successfully achieved their liberation, the War did not officially conclude till 1783. The War was deemed an internal battle within the Great Britain Empire until 1778, after which it advanced to a global war and involved other nations[1]. The initial objective of the American colonists was to gain control of their affairs, particularly tax regulations. The Britain Empire had the most control over the thirteen colonies’ affairs until 1776 when the American colonies attained independence[2]. However, the War lasted until 1783 and turned out with British multitudes losing influence on the colonies due to their incompetence. This paper looks at the reasons as to why the American War of Independence turned out the way it did.

The American colonies believed that the British administration’s role was to safeguard their liberties and freedoms. However, after the Indian and French War, the colonists began experiencing several occasions of violation of their sovereignty and privileges by the British government. The lack of colonist representatives within the parliament made them believe that they were not eligible for taxation. This was because British citizens were granted the liberty to choose their parliamentary representatives who had the power to vote on suggested taxes. The revolution’s progression resulted in a government’s formation by the Americans founded on the Confederation Articles’ provisions, which received ratification in 1781. The formulated government provided for individual states’ creation since most Americans did not believe in a robust centralized authority as they were fighting for liberation from Great Britain. The notion established by this provision was to retain power and prevent their subjection to effective controls separate from their states. However, this governmental regime proved to be incompetent and resulted in the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia.

During the onset of the War, the British had more militiamen in their troops. The armed forces’ growth was slow initially. After the Prime Minister, Lord North, received information on French troops’ augmentation, more individuals were recruited and added to existing units. However, the effort made by the British military changed drastically after the French involvement in the War[3]. A common belief on why Britain lost to the American colonies is due to their overconfidence and arrogance. However, the British army knew how tough it would be to conquer the rebellion. They had no particular hope of overcoming America due to the territory’s largeness and the meager nature of attainable resources. Given this, they established a tactic that they anticipated would produce disproportionate outcomes due to diligent efforts. This plan was referred to as the Hudson strategy since it integrated activities across the Hudson River, which runs up to Canada from New York. The British army anticipated to separate New England rebels from the southern and Middle colonies that were moderate. Britain was of the view that such isolation would strangle the American rebels’ right to submission[4]. The main setback was the poor execution of the plan and not the strategy itself. The outstanding leadership skills portrayed by George Washington and the British leader’s strategic errors promoted the conquest of the American colonies.

The British tactic aimed at destroying the Northern rebellion, and they came close to defeating the Continental militiamen several times. However, the triumphs at Princeton and Trenton in 1776 and the beginning of 1777 reestablished patriotic expectations. Further, the Saratoga triumph, which stopped the British from advancing from Canada, resulted in a French intervention in the colonies’ support[5]. The beginning of the War saw the absence of an expert army for the American colonies. The militiamen were casually armed, underwent slight training, and lacked uniforms. The militia units occasionally served and did not go through adequate training nor learn the discipline expected from skilled soldiers. Furthermore, native militias were hesitant to leave their homes, thus making them unreachable for comprehensive operations. The continental army endured drastically due to the absence of efficient training schedules and inexperienced sergeants and officers.

The British army had successfully operated in America before the Revolutionary War. It was tempting for the British to assume that similar logistics would apply during the American Revolution. There were differences in the British structure of logistical management[6]. The logistics during the eighteenth century were accountable to several executive sectors, including the Navy Board, the War Office, and the Board of Ordnance. However, the most considerable portion of accountability rested on the treasury. The revolution onset collapsed this system drastically. An example of patriotic boards’ action was cutting off the provisions intended for the Boston army. This significantly impacted their involvement in the War. The situation made it necessary for the British military to seek Europe’s assistance since preserving massive armed forces over great distances was largely difficult. It would take three months for ships to convey across the Atlantic Ocean; thus, briefings emanating from London were mostly nonoperational when they arrived. Before the War, American colonies were autonomous political and socio-economic entities and lacked a distinct region of definitive strategic significance. This illustrates that a city’s collapse in America did not stop wars all the more so after the forfeiture of main commune areas such as New York, Charleston, and Philadelphia.

The British influence relied on the Noble Navy, whose supremacy allowed for their resupply of expeditionary powers while averting admittance to adversary ports. However, most of the American populace was agricultural, received France’s support, and barricade runners grounded within the Dutch Caribbean, hence protecting their economy. The American colonies’ terrestrial extent and inadequate human resources indicated the British incompetence to concurrently carry out military processes and inhabit the region while lacking local maintenance. The campaign held in 1775 portrayed how Britain overrated their troops’ capabilities and undervalued the colonial militiamen, making it necessary to reassess their strategies and tactics. However, it guaranteed the Patriots an opportunity to undertake resourcefulness, which led to the rapid loss of British influence over most colonies.

Several intercontinental contexts of the American Revolution contributed to its outcomes. The first context was Britain’s political agenda[7]. The British avoided the intervention of foreign states during the War since it would lower their chances of conquering the battle. They isolated themselves from other allies since they could not afford to reimburse them[8]. Additionally, Britain was becoming extremely powerful and failed to locate partners who would threaten the Spanish or French Home Front. The second aspect was France’s plan to reduce British influence and avenge them. The French also offered their support to the American colonies in numerous ways. They provided material backing in May 1776, established a treaty of Commerce and Amity in February 1778, which resulted in recognition and trade, and formed an alliance treaty in 1778 for a military agreement[9]. There was martial intervention between the French and American colonies. The third international aspect of the War was Spain’s plan, which integrated numerous tactics. Their main objectives were to bring back Gibraltar and lower British influence and authority. Spain formed a military intervention in 1779 and joined the War, not as America’s allies, but France’s supporters.

The fourth aspect was the circumstances in Holland. The Anglo-Dutch associations turned sour as the Dutch were not in support of Britain due to their trade relations with France and America. This resulted in War raging between Britain and Holland. The British anticipated doing away with Holland’s support to the French and the rebels, which was unsuccessful[10]. The enlightenment notions also promoted the turn of events during the War. The enlightenment was a scientific and cultural movement initiated in Europe that emphasized aspects of rationality and reason over misconception. Thomas Hobbes, an English theorist, developed the social contract idea. Additionally, John Locke, another theorist, established that individuals have the liberty to the preservation of life, property, and other additional attributes from the governing administration. These notions influenced the American Revolution’s outcomes as the colonists were dedicated to achieving the right to liberty, life, and the search for contentment.

The primary revolution outcome was the liberty of the thirteen once British protectorates in North America. Additionally, the revolution served as a philosophical refinement of monarchists in the thirteen former British protectorates. Most of these royalists were forced to move to Canada after the War, and among them were several slaves who fought as British allies in the War. The Revolutionary War had several consequences, including the death of approximately 7,200 Americans due to the War. An additional 10,000 succumbed to disease and similar exposure while roughly 8,500 perished in the British jails[11]. Another consequence was the escape of some slaves in Georgia and South Carolina. The nations also implemented transcribed constitutions that ensured religious liberty, heightened the powers and form of the legislature, transformed inheritance regulations, and advanced the tax system.

[1] Hoffman, Ronald, and Peter J Albert. 1981. “France and the American Revolution Seen as Tragedy”. In Diplomacy And Revolution , 73-105. Charlottesville: Published for the United States Capitol Historical Society by the University Press of Virginia.

[2] Spring, Matthew H. 2014. “The Army’s Task”. In With Zeal And With Bayonets Only, 3-23. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

[3] Resch, John, and Walter Sargent. 2007. “Incompatible Allies”. In  War & Society In The American Revolution , 191-214. Northern Illinois University Press.

[4] Moyer, Paul, History 309. “The International Dimensions Of The Revolutionary War”. Presentation.

[5] Resch, John, and Walter Sargent. 2007. “Incompatible Allies”. In  War & Society In The American Revolution , 191-214. Northern Illinois University Press.

[6] Bowler, Arthur. n.d. “Logistics and Operations in the American Revolution”. In Logistics And The Failure Of The British Army In America, 1775-1783, 55-71.

[7] Moyer, Paul, History 309. “The International Dimensions Of The Revolutionary War”. Presentation.

[8] Resch, John, and Walter Sargent. 2007. “Incompatible Allies”. In  War & Society In The American Revolution , 191-214. Northern Illinois University Press.

[9] Tiedemann, Joseph S, Eugene R Fingerhut, and Robert W Venables. 2009. “Loyalty is Now Bleeding in New Jersey, Motivations and Mentalities of the Disaffected”. In The Other Loyalists , 45-77. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

[10] Hoffman, Ronald, and Peter J Albert. 1981. “France and the American Revolution Seen as Tragedy”. In Diplomacy And Revolution , 73-105. Charlottesville: Published for the United States Capitol Historical Society by the University Press of Virginia.

[11] Spring, Matthew H. 2014. “The Army’s Task”. In With Zeal And With Bayonets Only, 3-23. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

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• Discover the Collections

The Institute collects individual issues of newspapers that cover the events of the American Revolution, post-war commemorations and the activities of the Society of the Cincinnati. Newspapers in the Revolutionary era served as the main source of information about events across the states, such as eyewitness reports from battles, letters and breaking news. People would either buy the paper or listen to it read aloud in town.

The format and style of late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century newspapers are very different from today’s papers. Headlines are non-existent; rather, italics or small capital letters are used in a column to indicate an item of interest. Advertisements are scattered throughout the pages and give insights into popular books— Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States by baron von Steuben is advertised for purchase in a 1789 paper—as well as goods and services for sale.

The centerpiece of the Institute’s newspaper collection is the Hamilton Newspaper and Ephemera Collection of Antonia Chambers, Esq., which contains newspapers featuring articles on the life and career of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Hamilton’s work to promote and protect his legacy. The collection chronicles events ranging from his valorous action at Yorktown in 1781 to the Hamilton-Burr duel and his death in 1804. Other highlights of the Institute’s newspaper collection include contemporary European newspapers reporting on the war in America, newspapers from the 1750s covering the French and Indian War, detailed descriptions of battles, and coverage of Society of the Cincinnati meetings and toasts.

The following newspapers, and others, are available on our Digital Library .

The New York Gazette or, the Weekly Post-Boy

The Robert Charles Lawrence Fergusson Collection

The Essex Gazette

The Connecticut Journal

The Caledonian Mercury

The New-York Gazette, and the Weekly Mercury

The Pennsylvania Gazette

The Hamilton Newspaper and Ephemera Collection of Antonia Chambers, Esq.

The Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser

The Providence Gazette and Country Journal

The London Chronicle

Library purchase, 2008

The Pennsylvania Packet

Library purchase, 2009

The New-York Daily Gazette

Dunlap and Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser

New-York Herald

Was the Revolutionary War Actually Revolutionary?

This essay will discuss whether the American Revolutionary War was truly revolutionary. It will analyze the changes it brought about in society, governance, and global perspectives, questioning its revolutionary nature against its long-term impacts. Also at PapersOwl you can find more free essay examples related to American Revolution.

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The Revolutionary War could perhaps be called the greatest thing to ever happen to us. But, was it really? Just how revolutionary was the Revolutionary War? Some may say it was extremely revolutionary but, was it even revolutionary at all? This subject is very contradictory to various groups of people . To some it was very revolutionary but to others at just a glance it was revolutionary but, once you take a deeper look you’d find it was not very revolutionary at all.

The American Revolution was when we fought Great Britain and won our independence. It’s well known for making a huge impact on us. But, did it? Despite its name, was the Revolutionary war actually revolutionary?

The American Revolution started in 1775 and ended in 1783. But, what is a revolution? A revolution is when you forcibly overthrow the government favoring a new system. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/)So, what was the American Revolution? It was a rebellion against Great Britain by the thirteen colonies that wanted independence. They no longer wanted to be under the British authority. But, why did this happen? They weren’t happy with the way Britain was running things. Among many of the problems they believed the taxes they were given was unfair believing they was only used to pay off the British’s war debts and didn’t go into the town. Things kept farther escalating after the Boston tea party the parliament gave the colonies even more restrictions. These restrictions were implied by the coercive Acts. The colonies had, had enough they decided to work together and form their own congress and take independence from Britain.

The road to political independence was not a smooth one. The colonies were infuriated with Great Britain’s government. Government to them was there to protect the rights of the people. But, they felt as if their government was being used only to protect its own interests and not serving them. When the government started to pass new laws but, their new set of laws wasn’t beneficial to its people only to them. The colonies decided to have a uprising over there new laws and even boycotted. The British then sent troops to the colonies to enforce the laws but, that only increased the colonies anger towards them.It all began April eighteenth- nineteenth,1775. That’s when British soldiers swarmed concord searching for the colonists suggest hidden ammunition. People was terrified that the troops would set the town on fire just to watch it burn. The british had the people so terrified that it would end with the Battle of concord. Soon the British would assign the Proclamation of Rebellion. This stated that the British empire was to Use their utmost endeavours to withstand and suppress such rebellion. (historyofmassachussets.org) This was just igniting the flames. The British had at this point totally demolished any form of relationship with the colonist they had left. But, no one wanted to mend this wound.

So, if the American Revolution was just thirteen colonies fighting against their government for independence why was it so revolutionary? Although it was not a social revolution like all the other ones around it, it was still quite amazing. (www.digitalhistory.uh.edu) One of the biggest things that came out of it was the creation of the United States. Also it gave the colonist a voice in their government they finally had a say so in what would happen. The lower class could represent their people and made it where the upper class couldn’t just push them over. Over all it created a equal and fair environment which is all the colonist really wanted. After the revolution ran its course the number of just everyday lower class or middle class people that participated in politics jumped dramatically. It changed people’s outlook on social life and how things should be done. The right to vote was extended to more people which then lead to people being able to vote public offices. The greatest thing the revolution gave to us was new racial ideas including, a commitment to liberty, equality, government of the people, and rule of law.(www.digitalhistory.uh.edu) The revolution made Americans want to change their current society and adopt republican principles. They started to rethink their ways and change things they once thought was crucial to their way of life. Things like slavery, indentured servants and apprenticeship. They would abolish slavery in the northern states. The indentured servants seemed to simly fall off the face of the earth. Women lives began to dramatically change for the best. Instead of them boycotting for their rights they would soon be handed over to them.

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58 Revolutionary War Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best revolutionary war topic ideas & essay examples, 📌 interesting topics to write about revolutionary war, 🔎 good research topics about revolutionary war.

• Smallpox During the American Revolutionary War During the American Revolutionary War, disease and enemy forces were two of the biggest perils of the army. The fever rises on the fourth day of infection, and the first smallpox sores form in the […]
• American Revolution: Seven Years War in 1763 As a result of the passing the Tea Act in 1773 British East India company was allowed to sell tea directly to the colonist, by passing the colonists middlemen.
• Valley Forge in the Revolutionary War History Moreover, the supply chain was mismanaged due to the absence of the Quartermaster General and the dissatisfaction with Washington, resulting in some officials’ unwillingness to assist him.
• Poem Concerning the American Revolutionary War The historical question to be addressed in the poem will be linked to the role masses and individuals played in the war.
• America and Britain in American Revolutionary War In the process of the war itself, the country had to create command personnel and to find money. The first successes of the soldiers gave confidence to the young American army.
• The Key Factors of Success in the Revolutionary War The British strategy was based on their confidence in their military forces and the loyalty of most of the Americans to the Crown.
• Could the American War of Independence Be Called a Revolution? For example, in his article “Empire – What Empire?”, Graham MacPhee suggests that there are no objective reasons to consider the American War of Independence as essentially revolutionary, rather than evolutionary: “What is referred to […]
• The French Connection in Revolutionary War In 1778, the French had formally recognized the independence of the U.S.and signed a treaty that created a military and commercial alliance with the new country.
• The History of Revolutionary War: Banding Colonies and Revolt Against a Tyrannical Government Ensuring Loyalist support was crucial for the British because the objective of fighting the far-off war was to retain the colonies.
• Revolutionary War in Modern Theorists’ Views 1 According to the opinions of the great political leaders such as the father of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, or the main revolutionary figure in Cuba, Che Guevara, a revolution is a […]
• Vietnam War and American Revolution Comparison Consequently, the presence of these matters explains the linkage of the United States’ war in Vietnam and the American Revolution to Mao’s stages of the insurgency.
• The Revolutionary War Changes in American Society The Revolution was started by the breakaway of the 13 American Colonies from the British Crown. A significant consequence of the American Revolution is that it led to the drafting of the Declaration of Independence […]
• American Revolutionary War: Causes and Outcomes The colonists vehemently objected to all the taxes, and claimed that Parliament had no right to impose taxes on the colonies since the colonists were not represented in the House of Commons.
• How Americans Won the Revolutionary War? Thus, the Revolutionary War resulted in the victory of the American colonists because the experienced British army was defeated with the help of the new military techniques, approaches, and strategies, the Americans had the territory […]
• History of the American Revolutionary War It is interesting to note that there was no single cause behind the American Revolutionary War that was wholly attributed as the “trigger” so to speak behind its inception, rather, it was the result of […]
• French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812 In the course of the war, a peace treaty was signed in 1763 where the Britons acquired most of the territory that belonged to the French.
• Causes of Revolutionary War in America As a result, the situation increased the tension between the colonies and the British government which was insensitive to the rights of the colonies.
• Reasoning Behind the Revolutionary War
• Smallpox Role in the Revolutionary War
• Colonialism and Other Causes of the American Revolutionary War
• Class Struggles During the American Revolutionary War
• British Arguments During the Revolutionary War
• Captain John Paul Jones a Leader During the Revolutionary War
• Social Disorder During America’s Revolutionary War
• Roles People Played During the Revolutionary War
• Salutary Neglect and the Causes of the Revolutionary War
• Revolutionary War Turning Point at the Battle of Saratoga
• The American Government After the Revolutionary War
• Women During the Era of the Revolutionary War
• Understanding the Revolutionary War and the Beginning of the New Republic
• Turning Point for Colonists During Revolutionary War
• The Transition From the Colonial Era to the Revolutionary War
• The Taxation and Events That Lead to the Revolutionary War
• The Sacrifice and Service of American Veterans in the Revolutionary War
• The Revolutionary War as an Economic Revolution
• Foreign Influences During the Revolutionary War
• The American Revolutionary War and the Beginnings of the New Republic
• The Context of the American Revolutionary War From a Historical Perspective
• Revolutionary War Advantages and Disadvantages
• The Problems the United States Had With Paying Debts After the Revolutionary War
• What Influenced the Patriots Win in the Revolutionary War
• American Revolutionary War and Military Reasons
• A History of French Volunteers in the American Revolutionary War
• The Goals of the Colonists in the Revolutionary War
• Role of George Washington in the American Revolutionary War
• How Colonists Won the Revolutionary War
• The Importance of Guerrilla Warfare in the Revolutionary War
• Linking of Independence Fight and the Revolutionary War
• Events and Mistakes That Led to the Revolutionary War
• The Revolutionary War Is Communist Utopia
• Ethnic Groups During the Revolutionary War
• Differences Between the Civil War and the Revolutionary War
• Newspaper Journalism During the Revolutionary War
• Native Americans During the Revolutionary War
• Naval Battles During the Revolutionary War
• Loyalists During the American Revolutionary War
• Race Relations During the Revolutionary War
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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IvyPanda . "58 Revolutionary War Essay Topic Ideas & Examples." March 1, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/topic/revolutionary-war-essay-topics/.

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