Introduction

The American Revolution is a time of political changes that occurred after 1763 in the Thirteen Colonies of North America. It led to the American war of Independence against the British between 1775 and 1783, resulting in the independence from Great Britain and the establishment of the United States of America.

In order to defray the costs of the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763, a global conflict that involved every European great power of the time and split the continent into two coalitions), Great Britain taxed its American colonies without them being consulted. The American colonials rejected the authority of king George III and the British Parliament and started riots that the mainland wanted to stop by sending troops.

On July 4, 1776, representatives of the colonies foregathered (= se réunir) in Philadelphia and adopted the Declaration of Independence. After a few difficulties, the continental army led by George Washington finally had the upper hand on British. The insurgents (name given to the American revolutionaries) got the help on many European volunteers: French, German, Poles. Then Louis XVI, Spain and the Dutch Republic got officially involved too.

In 1783, London had to acknowledge the United States of America’s independence. The brand-new country gave itself a Constitution in 1787, inspired by the Lumières. George Washington became the first President of the United States (POTUS) in 1789.
However, the first few years of the country were filled with of political oppositions and social tensions.

The American Revolution created a new federal republic with new institutions. The American nation emerged with its own symbols and founding myths. It had a substantial (= important) impact on Europe, especially France.

If you want to know more, I recommend this wonderful website called “Journal of the American Revolution”.