American Revolution - Highlights

For about 150 years - until 1764 - American colonists tolerated British rule. But when Parliament enforced trade laws, and imposed taxes on sugar, Americans grew angry. Terms of the Sugar Act also prohibited Americans from importing foreign rum and French wines. That made things worse.

People started to talk about taxation without representation. Why should colonials pay taxes to Britain when they elected no members of Parliament? What if the colonies said “no” to His Majesty?

In 1775, Lord Hugh Percy believed Britain’s colonies in America might successfully break ties with the mother country, observing: “Whoever looks upon them as an irregular mob will find himself much mistaken. They have men amongst them who know very well what they are about.”

When the thirteen colonies approved their Declaration of Independence the following year, it was not at all clear they could actually win the fight with Britain. Experiencing ups and downs during six-and-a-half years of battles, Americans finally won their revolutionary war with significant help from France.

In this story about the war, take a trip to colonial America to see where the first skirmishes (at Lexington and Concord) took place. View annotated maps for some of the key battles, including Bunker Hill (which actually took place at Breed’s Hill). See artifacts from the colonial period including muskets, powder horns and many other items which people used in their daily lives.

Meet George Washington (and his wife Martha), examine some of his original documents (including his command commission) and see a set of his false teeth (made from ivory, not wood). Discover America’s first battleship, the Alfred (formerly a 24-gun private vessel known as the Black Prince), and the country’s first banner (the Grand Union Flag).

See the original Independence Resolution, proposed by Richard Henry Lee, and the vote tally which approved it. Examine some of the country’s first dollar bills (the three, the seven and the thirty) and a few political cartoons from London (expressing doubt about America’s success).

Meet Francis Marion (the “Swamp Fox”) and learn of his efforts (and that of his brigade) to fight “the Redcoats,” and elude capture, in the American South. Watch battle animations (from the U.S. Military Academy) and learn what finally turned the war against the British. See Moore’s house (where the Yorktown surrender took place) and the original Treaty of Paris (which finally ended the hostilities).