American Revolution
The American War of Independence (1775–1783) grew from colonial resistance to British taxation without parliamentary representation — 'no taxation without representation' — into a full independence movement after fighting broke out at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The Second Continental Congress appointed George Washington commander-in-chief, and after early reverses the Continental Army's survival at Valley Forge (winter 1777–78) gave way to the decisive turning point at Saratoga (October 1777), where a British army under Burgoyne surrendered, persuading France to enter the war. French military and naval support proved decisive: the Marquis de Lafayette brought professional experience to the Continental Army, and the French fleet's intervention at Yorktown in 1781 trapped Cornwallis's army, producing the surrender that effectively ended major fighting. The 1783 Treaty of Paris recognised American independence. The Revolution established the first modern democratic republic under a written constitution (1787), demonstrating that Enlightenment principles of popular sovereignty and individual rights could be institutionalised. France's ruinous financial support for the American cause deepened the fiscal crisis that would help ignite revolution at home six years later.
- Year: 1775 CE
- Category: Political
