ighting 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.
Consequences
About 7,200 Americans died in battle during the Revolution.
Another 10,000 died from disease or exposure and about
8,500 died in British prisons.
A quarter of the slaves in South Carolina and Georgia
escaped from bondage during the Revolution. The Northern
states outlawed slavery or adopted gradual emancipation
plans.
The states adopted written constitutions that guaranteed
religious freedom, increased the legislature's size and
powers, made taxation more progressive, and reformed inheritance
laws.
Background
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. |
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Learn more about the
Revolution's causes, history, and significance
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