This article is about political and social developments, including the origins and aftermath of the war. For military actions, see American Revolutionary War.
For other uses, see American Revolution (disambiguation).
In this article, the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans", with occasional references to "Patriots", "Whigs", "Rebels", or "Revolutionaries". Colonists who supported the British in opposing the Revolution are usually referred to as "Loyalists" or "Tories". (See section 2 below for a detailed explanation.) The geographical area of the thirteen colonies that both groups shared is often referred to simply as "America". In response to Patriot protests in Boston over British attempts to assert authority, the British sent combat troops. Consequently, the states mobilized their militias, and fighting broke out in 1775. Although Loyalists were estimated to comprise 15-20% of the population,[1] throughout the war the Patriots generally controlled 80-90% of the territory; the British could hold only a few coastal cities for any extended period of time. In 1776, representatives from each of the original thirteen independent states voted unanimously to adopt a Declaration of Independence, establishing the United States, which was originally governed as a loose confederation by a representative government selected by state legislatures (see Second Continental Congress). The Americans formed an alliance with France in 1778 that evened the military and naval strengths, later bringing Spain and the Dutch Republic into the conflict by their own alliance with France. Two main British armies were captured by the Continental Army, at Saratoga in 1777 and Yorktown in 1781. The Second Continental Congress was followed by the Congress of the Confederation with the ratification of the Articles of Confederation. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 was ratified by this new national government, and ended...