The American Revolution was a war that lasted seven years. It was fought between 

the Thirteen Colonies of America (the Americans) against Great Britain from 1775 to 1787. The Americans were fighting for independence, while the British were fighting to maintain control of the colonies. The aftermath of the war was with massive casualties on both sides.

It started when Christopher Columbus first landed in North America, when he tried to find more trade routes to India on October 12, 1492. He brought back a few unknown items to the Europeans, including tobacco, pineapple, turkeys, and a hammock (Oversimplified, 2018). The news spread about the new continent having an abundance of gold, so England, France, and Spain sent ships to America to get land. After centuries of war, England occupied the East coast and most of Canada, while France occupied middle America and Spain occupied Florida. 

On March 5, 1770, British soldiers opened fire on a group of Bostonians who heckled and pestered them. This tragic event became known as the Boston Massacre, and it became a catalyst for the Revolution. The patriots threw snowballs; snowballs turned into rocks, and rocks into shells (History, 2008). The annoyed British opened fire on the Americans, killing five and injuring even more. King George III further enraged the colonists by pardoning the soldiers.

Three years after the Boston Massacre, people were more deeply disgusted with the policies of King George III, especially his unfair, atrocious taxes. With the British’s cruel taxes, a secret organization formed to repel the British. The secret organization called themselves “The Sons of Liberty.” They were a group of revolutionaries who hated the British. On December 16, 1773, at the Griffin Wharf in Boston, Massachusetts, the Sons of Liberty accused the British of imposing “taxation without representation,” meaning they didn’t want taxes with no say in the British Parliament (History, 2019). The Sons of Liberty dumped 342 full chests of tea (over 10000 pounds) into Boston Harbor in front of thousands of spectators. The British were enraged, so they sent 3000 more troops to Boston. After this incident, Boston was under military occupation by Great Britain.

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were essential as they were the first battles of the revolution. Paul Revere warned the Americans that the British were on their way to Concord by shouting the now-famous phrase: “The British are coming!”  The local militia was prepared for the warning call and drove the British back to Boston.  The British hoped to catch the Americans off guard by landing troops in Boston. They forced American soldiers to retreat to Concord. The British destroyed American supplies, but the Americans were resilient and fought back. An estimated 4000 American troops were lined up against only 1500 British soldiers. There were 400 casualties, 100 being American and 300 British (American Battlefield Trust, 2014).

After the Battle of Concord, American troops seized the city of Boston. Meanwhile, the Continental Army was founded, and George Washington was appointed to be the Commander in 

Chief. The Continental Army sent Benedict Arnold to capture the poorly defended Fort Ticonderoga. While Arnold's mission trekked to Ticonderoga, they encountered a militia called the Green Mountain Boys. The militia also intended to raid the fort. They agreed to join forces and quickly captured the fort. The fort had a bounty of weapons and ammunition. When they returned to the Continental Army headquarters, the leader of the Green Mountain Boys, Ethan Allen, denied any affiliation with Arnold and claimed glory for himself.

In 1775, as Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army, the British tried to break the Siege of Boston. They tried to attack Bunker Hill and gain the high ground. The patriots saw what was coming and sent troops to occupy the nearby Breed’s Hill. The redcoats tried to climb the hill twice and twice were sent back. The battle lasted a mere 3 hours after the Americans ran out of ammunition. Though losing the fight, the Americans (who had no experience) heavily damaged the British army. There were little skirmishes for the remainder of 1775 but no major battles.

Henry Knox was a military officer for the Americans. From capturing all of the ammunition after raiding Fort Ticonderoga, Henry used oxen to transport it all to Boston. He settled the cannons at Dorchester Heights and aimed them straight at the British army when he arrived. The British saw the guns and fled the city. This was the Continental Army’s first victory. 

During this time, Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called: “Common Sense.” In this important work, Paine advocated for total independence from Great Britain. The pamphlet  quickly spread all over the colonies. To this day, the pamphlet is the best-selling American title (based on population). The pamphlet truly brought the idea of independence to the people. The pamphlet played an instrumental role in the Continental Congress unanimously voting for independence. The Continental Congress announced that July 4th would be our Independence Day.

The British viewed the American Declaration of Independence as treason. This was treason. King George III then sent 130 warships and 5,000 men to attack New York City. Washington knew they would return to New York, so the Continental Army had already set up camp and fortified the area. The British observed this and waited. They planned to undermine the Americans' confidence while building their strength. When the British finally attacked, they hit hard. The Americans suffered defeat after defeat. From New York, Washington’s army retreated to New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania.

During winter, Washington devised a plan. He crossed the freezing Delaware River to attack the Hessian Army (they were a German mercenary army hired by the British). The Hessians were caught by surprise and surrendered. It was a short battle, but it sent a message to the British that the war was not over. The British then tried to counterattack the Americans, but Washington’s army flanked and defeated the enemy three times in ten days in a series of battles.  The British decided to abandon New Jersey for the rest of the year.

The British thought they were losing the war, so they devised a plan. General Burgoyne and General Howe from the south would cut modern-day New York. By doing so, they would control the colonies’ trade. General Burgoyne quickly recaptured Fort Ticonderoga and marched down New York and engaged the Americans at Bennington, where the Americans were getting more and more support. The colonies managed to contain General Burgoyne’s rampage. General Burgoyne then asked General Howe for help. Little did he know, General Howe completely jettisoned the plan and went for personal glory by capturing the American capital of Philadelphia.

As General Burgoyne’s army got weaker and weaker, General Horatio Gates and Benedict Arnold wanted to take care of him once and for all. They were arguing about what to do: General Gates wanted to wait for the British to arrive, while Arnold wanted to catch them off guard and attack them. Gates, the superior officer, commanded Arnold to stop, but Arnold defied his order and destroyed the British at the Battle of Bemis Heights. Horatio Gates was awarded as the “Hero of Saratoga,” not giving Arnold a bit of credit. 

Spain and France always wanted to embarrass Great Britain. After the American victory at Saratoga, the two were ready for a total commitment. The French first sent a fleet of ships to attack the English Channel, but they sent a fleet to the Americas after that failed. A storm sank the vessels. Spain on the other hand was attacking the British on the west side of America, making it a two-front war.

After Benedict Arnold took back New York from the British, Washington put Arnold in charge of Philadelphia. Arnold was irresponsible, running parties and even marrying a member of the Philadelphia Elite (the same people who consorted with the British when they controlled Philadelphia). Because of this, the people of Philadelphia hated him. Washington wrote to Arnold, saying that his behavior was imprudent and improper. Benedict Arnold, the man who won Fort Ticonderoga, the man who defeated the British in Saratoga, was now being called improper and imprudent. This was too much for Arnold. He asked Washington to put him in charge of the fort in West Point and contacted the British, offering to hand them the fort and join them. 

Luckily, the officer it was delivered to was captured. Arnold managed to escape before he was imprisoned.

In the New Year of 1781, the British changed their strategy, now attacking the south instead of the North. The British destroyed the outnumbered patriots, sweeping through most of the land. The Americans needed to stop the rampage, so they sent the supposed hero of Saratoga, Horatio Gates, to help. He got in one battle with Cornwallis, got destroyed, and ran away. General Washington then appointed Nathaniel Greene to take back control of the South. He used guerilla warfare and outplayed the superior force of Cornwallis (Britannica). 

Now, after six years of war, both armies were exhausted. With France and Spain in the war, the British lost numerous forts and many territories. Both sides desperately needed a victory. 

In the spring of 1781,  Washington wanted to make a decisive blow to the British in Yorktown, Virginia, where General Cornwallis’ army was in a wreck. They marched over, and with the French navy controlling the Chesapeake Bay, the British had no choice but to stand and fight. There were roughly 20,000 Americans against 9000 British. General Cornwallis had no choice but to surrender. He, along with 9000 of his soldiers, was utterly outnumbered. When the loss at Yorktown reached England, the general public hated the war. The British Parliament started collaborating with the Americans for peace negotiations. The war is over.

In 1782, King George III signed the Treaty of Paris. The treaty consists of 1. Great Britain will recognize America as a country. 2. Great Britain will give Northwest territory to the Americans. 3. Opening the Mississippi River to the public (it used to be for war purposes). 4. Americans paid back the debt to the British. 5. Fair treatment of citizens of America that are loyal to the British (History, 2019).

In conclusion, this seven-year war resulted in the United States gaining independence after massive casualties on both sides. 

References

History.com Editors. (2019, October 27). Boston Massacre. Retrieved from history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre

History.com Editors. (2019, November 13). Treaty of Paris. Retrieved from history.com/topics/american-revolution/treaty-of-paris

Kiger, P. J. (2019, August 19). Who Were the Sons of Liberty? Retrieved from history.com/news/sons-of-liberty-members-causes

Lexington and Concord. (n.d.). Retrieved from battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/lexington-and-concord

Nathanael Greene. (n.d.). Retrieved from britannica.com/biography/Nathanael-Greene

Webzwithaz. (2018, August 30). The American Revolution - OverSimplified (Part 2). Retrieved from youtube.com/watch?v=rtYC2jx1LM0&ab_channel=OverSimplified

Yorktown. (n.d.). Retrieved from battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/yorktown