The
American Revolution ended two centuries of British rule over most of the
North American Colonies, resulting in the formation of the United States
of America.
The various causes of the American Revolution
can be traced to the end of the French and Indian War, when Britain had
succeeded in gaining territory from France at the expense of increasing
its already enormous national debt. In an attempt to relieve Britain of
its financial burden, Parliament decided that the American Colonists would
have to help pay for their own defense, despite the fact that a French
invasion was no longer a real threat.
Toward this end, Parliament passed the
first of several tax laws, the Stamp Act, which taxed all paper products
in the colonies. The Americans declared it was unfair to tax them when
they had no representation in Parliament, and protests eventually escalated
to open hostilities in 1775, when the British Regulars fired on the Minutemen
of Lexington, Massachusetts.
This conflict contributed to the formation
of the Continental Congress (which directed the American war effort) and
to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Still, it wasn't
until 1783--a full eight years after the initial outbreak of violence--that
Great Britain signed the formal peace treaty recognizing the former colonies
as an independent nation.
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American
Revolution @ HistoryChannel.com
- Resource sells documentaries on the war and offers a series of related
articles.
American
Revolution.org
- Outfit assembles scholarly and local analysis, as well as providing
over a thousand links.
Virtual Walking
Tour - Resource covers the battles and the people of the war.
Liberty! The
American Revolution - PBS Online provides insight into all aspects
of the conflict and life surrounding it.
American
Revolution Homepage - Comprehensive timeline accompanied by photographs.
The
Revolutionary War - Hypertext accounts examine political and military
events; provide biographies and quotes; sample writings of the time.
Journey
Towards Freedom - Reference tool and discussion forum designed by
ThinkQuest, featuring an illustrated tour of historical sites.
The
History Place - Textual rendering of significant events of the conflict
in the form of a series of detailed timelines.
Encyclopedia
Brittanica - Survey account offers links, photographs, summaries,
and maps.
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