Link to Teacher Resources Link to Slavery, Revolution and the Constitution Link to Declaring Independence Link to mel Gibson's 'The Patriot' Link to the Battles of Lexington and Concord Link to Art and Propaganda Link to Music and the American Revolution Link to eXplorations menu Link to main Revolution webpage

Fighting began on April 19, 1775 at Lexington, Mass. and nearby Concord. British strategy called for crushing the rebellion in the North. Several times the British nearly defeated the Continental Army. But victories at Trenton and Princeton, N.J., in late 1776 and early 1777 restored patriot hopes, and victory at Saratoga, N.Y., which halted a British advance from Canada, led France to intervene on behalf of the rebels.

In 1778, fighting shifted to the South. Britain succeeded in capturing Georgia and Charleston, S.C. and defeating an American army at Camden, S.C. But bands of patriots harassed loyalists and disrupted supply lines, and Britain failed to achieve control over the southern countryside before advancing northward to Yorktown, Va. In 1781, an American and French force defeated the British at Yorktown in the war's last major battle.

Much more than a revolt against British taxes and trade regulations, the American Revolution was the first modern revolution. It marked the first time in history that a people fought for their independence in the name of certain universal principles such as rule of law, constitutional rights, and popular sovereignty.

Handouts:

Race in Revolutionary America | Religion in Revolutionary America
(Link will open in a new window; close that window to return to this page)

Copyright Digital History 2021