American Revolution (Let Freedom Ring)

The American Revolution (1775–1778), also known as the American Rebellion, American Resistance War, or Resistance War against Britain was a conflict between Great Britain and its Thirteen Colonies which declared independence as the United States of America.

After 1765, growing philosophical and political differences strained the relationship between Great Britain and its colonies. Patriot protests against taxation without representation followed the Stamp Act and escalated into boycotts, which culminated in 1773 with the Sons of Liberty destroying a shipment of tea in Boston Harbor. Britain responded by closing Boston Harbor and passing a series of punitive measures against Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts colonists responded with the Suffolk Resolves, and they established a shadow government which wrested control of the countryside from the Crown. Twelve colonies formed a Continental Congress to coordinate their resistance, establishing committees and conventions that effectively seized power.

British attempts to disarm the Massachusetts militia in Concord led to open combat on April 19, 1775. Militia forces then besieged Boston, forcing a British evacuation in March 1776, and Congress appointed George Washington to command the Continental Army. Concurrently, an American attempt to invade Quebec and raise rebellion against the British failed decisively. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted for independence, issuing its declaration on July 4. Sir William Howe launched a British counter-offensive, capturing New York City and leaving American morale at a low ebb.

During an important crossing of the Delaware River to reach the city of Trenton in New Jersey, George Washington along with a chunk of his army were plunged into the frozen water due to the boat being tipped over and were killed as a result. Nathanael Greene, after taking over the operation, mistakenly lead his men to the small town of Hopewell. Although the operation was small in scale, if left the demoralized army on the verge of collapse. Along with that, the death of Washington caused concerns in the Continental leadership over the prospects of victory.

By early 1777, the American garrison in Philadelphia faced a supply drought as the war effort was becoming increasingly attenuated. A series on attacks on Greene's army in New Jersey led to General James Ewing marching his Philadelphian army to assist. Seizing the opportunity, British forces invaded Pennsylvania from the north with little resistance. Colonel John Caldwalder set up a line of defense just south of Allentown, however after losing a defensive battle they were forced to retreat. Fearing that winning the war was becoming out of reach, a Continental Congress session was scheduled to discuss and potentially vote on a resolution to the conflict later that year, including the possibility of negotiations.

The New Jersey threatre ended in a British victory after Greene and Ewing pulled out their troops back to Pennsylvania. Meanwhile in the north, a second siege of Boston was initiated. Thomas Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, believing that the revolution had been lost, struck a deal to reintegrate Massachusetts back into British rule in exchange for immunity. This became the first state to leave the Continental Army and accelerated the push for negotiation. George Walton, the delegate from Georgia, made an especially big push. He would later draft up the first proposal for peace.

Although the British failed to capture Philadelphia along with the rest of southeast Pennsylvania, they were far more successful in the west and were beginning to pushes into Maryland. On November 9th, 1777, the Congress voted to send an amended version of Walton's proposal to King George III. The new deal stated that in return for the thirteen colonies remaining loyal to the crown and giving up complete independence they would create a special parliament to administer the territories, meaning that the London parliament who had previously imposed it's controversial laws could not interfere with the American lawmaking process. However, the new dominion would also pay a tax and provide tributes to Britain as a sign of loyalty and the new governorate would assist Britain directly in times of war.

Hostiles were halted by both sides near the end of December as the delegates made their intentions clear to the British armies. The full proposal was approved by Great Britain On March 1, 1778 and officially ended the rebellion. British troops remained in the colonies as was permitted by another point in the peace deal. The delegates to the Continental Congress avoided conviction for their previous treason and the new parliament was named the "American Congress" to honor those who voted for independence. Despite being a technical British victory as the colonies kept their loyalty, British citizens criticized the King and Parliament for being too generous, claiming that the treason shouldn't have gone unpunished. As a result of the rebellion, France began improvements with it's colonists while Spain imposed harsher rules and restriction upon it's own colonies.