American Revolution

At the end of the North American Colonial Period, members of the 13 colonies were becoming more distrustful of the English government overseas. A series of laws passed in England, which were applied across the Atlantic Ocean in North America, were angering the colonists. As a result, the colonists started to defy the authority of the English Monarchy. Taxes were avoided and protests in the streets were indicating that the colonists were not happy with the English government. Consequently, American statesmen, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, started to call for a separation from England. In 1776 the United States was created with the Declaration of Independence, a document that detailed the reasons for separating from England.

During the 1770's England had sought to tame its colonies across the Atlantic Ocean. Taxes on stamps, tea, and trade were becoming more and more troubling for the North American colonists. Events in Boston led to a massacre of colonists by English "Redcoat" soldiers. Later, the colonists responded by dressing as Native Americans and destroying a shipload of tea from England. This event was known as the Boston Tea Party. Eventually events came to a breaking point and the colonists went into full revolt. On July 4, 1776 members from across the English North American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence making the United States separate from England. England would not tolerate such an insurrection so the American Revolutionary War was on.

The American Revolution lasted approximately from 1776 - 1781. At the onset, England sent armies and its powerful navy to subdue the revolting Americans. The English Navy blockaded ports and restricted trade; whereas the English "Redcoat" Armies moved into the interior to stop the Patriots from revolting. The United States was no match for the then powerful army and navy of England. American success was elusive at the start of the war. The French, enemy of the English, came to the rescue of the fledgling United States Patriots. With the help of the French, the United States was able to embark upon some successful offensives, including the capture of an English army at the Second Battle of Saratoga. By 1783 the United States was fully separated from England, thus allowing for the establishment of a modern democracy based upon the teachings of ancient, as well as modern enlightenment political philosophers. In 1787 the United States Constitution was signed into law and has endured since.