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You can use PebbleGo, BrainPop Jr., and EPIC to find more books and articles about George Washington and the American Revolution.

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The American Revolutionary War for Kids: Learn About the Revolutionary War for Children - FreeSchool

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Learn about Patriots and Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. One side wanted independence while the other wanted to remain part of Britain.

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The Revolutionary Fireworks Frenzy!

Set off fireworks of different colors and sizes to get the highest score. The higher your score, the larger and happier the crowd will be.

Instructions

Use the ARROW KEYS to move your character. Speed up your movement by pressing a direction key just as you reach a firework.

Press SPACEBAR when you reach a firework to set it off. Try to keep moving as you set off fireworks!

Flash Required

The Kids Zone requires the latest version of the Adobe Flash Player. Click on the link below to download the latest version from Adobe.

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Set off fireworks of different colors and sizes to get the highest score. The higher your score, the larger and happier the crowd will be. Instructions Use the ARROW KEYS to move your character. Speed up your movement by pressing a direction key just as you reach a firework.

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The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. It would last six years, ending with General Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781. More than 25,000 Americans died during this war. Considering that Great Britain was one of the most powerful countries in the world at the time, their victory was astounding.
Fun Facts

George Washington was the leader of The Continental Army. He was a brilliant and inspiring general who eventually led relatively untrained soldiers to victory. Most of the soldiers were farmers or working men. They were promised $60 a year, food, and clothing for enlisting.

The British expected a quick victory. They defeated the rebels at Bunker Hill and captured New York, driving Washington and his men back to New Jersey. They captured Fort Ticonderoga and won battles at Brandywine and Germantown in Pennsylvania.

On December 25, 1776, Washington and his men crossed the icy Delaware River. At dawn, they captured Hessian (German) soldiers at Trenton, New Jersey. The following week, they won again at Princeton. The tide seemed to be turning.

During the summer of 1777, British General John Burgoyne hatched a plan to combine troops with two other forces in New York. If the plan had worked, the war probably would have been over. More than 10,000 American Patriots blocked their path. At the Battle of Saratoga in October of 1777, General Burgoyne surrendered 6,000 men. This was a tremendous victory of the Americans.

Realizing that the Americans had a chance of winning, France jumped in, sending money, supplies, and later troops and ships. France is often called America's oldest ally. Without their help, the war might have had a very different ending.

The Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge. Cold, hungry, and sick, almost 25 percent of the army died. During this time, German volunteer, Baron Friedrich von Steuben, trained the soldiers. By spring, they were ready to fight.

In December 1778, General Henry Clinton attacked Charleston, South Carolina. The Americans were badly defeated here and the British controlled much of South Carolina and Georgia.

In the summer of 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis stationed his troops at Yorktown, Virginia where they were waiting for aid from British warships. Washington brought the Continental Army, as well as 5,000 French troops to Yorktown. At the same time, French naval fleets drove off the British ships. The British troops were trapped. Cornwallis surrendered on October 19, 1871. The Americans had won the war.

Vocabulary
1. Enlist: to sign up as a soldier

2. Ally: a friend, partner

3. Surrender: to admit defeat
Questions and Answers
Question: What qualities helped the Americans win?

Answer: The British soldiers marched in straight lines as they charged into battle. The Americans made up their own rules. They hid behind rocks and trees, making it hard for the British to fight them. They knew the terrain well and could live off the land if necessary. Most important, though, was the Patriots' belief in the ideals of freedom and democracy, which united them, even through hardship.

For example, Nathan Hale, a 21-year-old school teacher, volunteered to be a spy for the Continental Army. The British caught him and hanged him. Before his death, he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." Many people shared his deep sense of patriotism and love for America.
Learn More
Visit PBS Learning to watch a video about the Declaration of Independence and the 4 th of July.

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The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775 at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. It would last six years, ending with General Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown, Virginia on October 19, 1781. More than 25,000 Americans died during this war. Considering that Great Britain was one of the most powerful countries in the world at the time, their victory was astounding.

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The American Revolution was not fought over paying taxes. It was fought over who had the authority For Kids: to impose taxes - Britain or colonial governments. To colonial leaders, taxation without representation was a major cause of the Revolutionary War. Other causes were restriction of free trade and restriction of free speech.

By 1770, although some colonists were still loyal to the British crown, many others were upset about taxes, the arrogance of British troops stationed in the colonies, and the continued disregard the British Parliament had shown for the needs of the American colonists. Jobs were lost. Monies were tight. Taxation without representation was the cry heard everywhere. Tension was growing.

By 1776, America was at war, fighting for her independence from Britain. This is the story of the American Revolution and the birth of a new nation - The United States of America.

Events Leading Up To & Causes of the American Revolutionary War
British Parliament
Colonial Government Proclamation of 1763 The Sugar Act 1764 The Stamp Act & The Stamp Act Congress 1765 - No taxation without representation!
The Sons of Liberty
Repeal of the Stamp Act
The Declaratory Act
The Townshend Act 1767
Boston Massacre 1770
Repeal of the Townshend Acts
(except for the tea tax) Committees of Correspondence The Boston Tea Party 1773
The Intolerable Acts, 1774
First Continental Congress
Boycott of British Goods
Minutemen & Militia
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott, April 18, 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord, Shot Heard Round the World, April 19, 1775 - Start of the American Revolution (1775-1783) Green Mountain Boys
Fort Ticonderoga, NY (canons!) May, 1775 Second Continental Congress, May, 1775
Appointment of Washington
as Commander of Continental Army, June 1775 The Declaration of Independence, 1776 The Articles of Confederation, 1777, finally radified by all 13 colonies in 1781
Key Battles of the American Revolution

Treaty of Paris ends the war, Results of the American Revolution 1783
Take the Quiz, interactive, with answers

Revolutionary Battles & Happenings 1776-1783

Bunker Hill
Naval Battles New York, New York Battle of Saratoga Battle of Trenton Winter Encampment at Valley Forge War in the South Treaty of Paris, Results of the Revolutionary War Battle Maps, Timelines, Games The Importance of Canons The Constitution of the United States Take the Quiz, interactive, with answers
Daily Life During the American Revolution
Colonial Daily Life - What was life like during the events leading up to war, and during the war itself? Revolutionary Recipes
Famous Folks of the American Revolution
Names in the News Benedict Arnold Crispus Attucks Benjamin Franklin Bernardo de Galvez King George III Nathanael Greene Green Mountain Boys Nathan Hale John Hancock General William Howe (British) Thomas Jefferson John Paul Jones General Marquis de Lafayette Thomas Paine Paul Revere, William Dawes, Samuel Prescott Sons of Liberty George Washington Women Soldiers, Spies, and Patriots Yankee Doodle Dandy Famous Quotes Join, or Die.
and other cartoons
Test Yourself

Causes of the American Revolution - Interactive Quiz with Answers

The Importance of Geography during the American Revolution - Interactive Quiz with Answers

Revolution Battles & Happenings - Interactive Quiz with Answers
More Quizzes about The American Revolution, plus Online Crossword Puzzles, Hangman, Millionaire, Jeopardy, and more
For Teachers

Free Lesson Plans and Units about the Revolutionary War for Teachers

Free Classroom Activities and Project Ideas for Teachers

Powerpoints: Free Use Presentations in PowerPoint format about the American Revolution

Free Online Interactive Games about the American Revolution for Kids and Teachers

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The American Revolution was not fought over paying taxes. It was fought over who had the authority For Kids: to impose taxes - Britain or colonial governments. To colonial leaders, taxation without representation was a major cause of the Revolutionary War. Other causes were restriction of free trade and restriction of free speech.

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American Revolutionary War

Left, Continental infantry at Redoubt 10, Yorktown; Washington rallying the broken center at Monmouth; USS Bonhomme Richard capturing HMS Serapis

Date

April 19, 1775 - September 3, 1783
(8 years, 4 months and 15 days)

Location

Result

Territorial
changes

Great Britain cedes control of all territories east of the Mississippi R.; south of the Great Lakes & St. Lawrence R. to Spanish Florida

Belligerents

Spain

Combatants
Combatants

Commanders and leaders

Strength

Casualties and losses

The American Revolutionary War was a war fought between Great Britain and the original 13 British colonies in North America. The war took place from 1775 to 1783 with fighting in North America and other places. The Continental Army ( army of the colonies), led by George Washington and helped by France and other powers, defeated the armies of the British Empire.

After the war ended, the Thirteen Colonies became independent, which meant that the British Empire was no longer in charge of them. They together became the first 13 states of a new country called the United States of America.

Background and causes

The war started after years of problems between the British Empire and the colonists of North America after the French and Indian War (The seven years war). People in the Thirteen Colonies disliked many of the actions of the British Government, such as the Intolerable Acts. For many years the British government decided which countries could trade with the colonies, instead of the colonies deciding it themselves. Many colonists wanted free trade.

In 1765, the British Parliament needed money to pay back the debt for the French and Indian War. They passed a Law called the Stamp Act. This law said that colonists had to buy stamps for legal papers, newspapers, and even playing cards, as other British people did. The money from the stamps went to the King. The colonies did not follow this law. The colonies kept refusing to do what the King wanted. The Boston Tea Party and Boston Massacre caused people to become more angry about the situation. The British sent more soldiers (who were called Red Coats by the colonists to insult them) to keep control of the colonies and they sometimes had to fight. In 1774, the British passed the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonists in Boston for the Boston Tea Party.

Not all colonists wanted to leave the British Empire. The , or Tories, stayed loyal to Great Britain. They were not going to change their views. The , or Whigs, wanted independence. Before the Revolutionary War, most people in America were Loyalists; but after it, most people were Patriots.

Many colonists wrote letters showing how they felt. Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense, a famous pamphlet about independence from Britain. Other colonial leaders, such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson wanted independence.

Northern battles

The first battles of the American Revolutionary War were Lexington and Concord. One of the first major battles was the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. After that, the British controlled Boston. Around that time, the Second Continental Congress sent an Olive Branch Petition to King George III (which he rejected) and named George Washington head of the army. Early in 1776, Washington's army drove the British out of Boston.

A few months later the Continental Army and British troops under William Howe fought the New York and New Jersey Campaign. During the New York battles, the British started using Hessian troops, who were from Germany. Though the colonists lost New York (the British would hold it for the rest of the war), Washington was able to hold onto most of his army. Over Christmas, 1776-77, Washington crossed the Delaware River and defeated the Hessians at Trenton and the British at Princeton.

In 1777, the British attacked the city of Philadelphia, then the American capital. Two battles were fought over Philadelphia: Brandywine and Germantown. Again, the Americans lost a major city, but Washington was able to keep most of his army. Around this time, the Frenchman Lafayette joined the American Army. In 1778, the British left Philadelphia. Between 1778 and 1781, most battles between Washington and the British were inconclusive (they did not have any major effect militarily).

One of the most important battles was the Battle of Saratoga in 1777. American soldiers under Horatio Gates forced a British surrender under John Burgoyne. This led to France and Spain joining the war on the side of Americans. These powerful countries fought the British around the world. From 1778 to 1780, there was fighting in the West.

The Scottish (fighting on the side of the Americans) commerce raider John Paul Jones also won several naval battles over the British, but the French navy did most of the fighting at sea. The Americans tried to capture Canada several times.

Southern battles

In 1779 major fighting shifted to Georgia and South Carolina. As fighting spread northward, General Nathanael Greene led the Rebel campaign. He caused many people in the South to be Patriots instead of Loyalists, and won several battles against the British.

In 1781, Washington and French general Jean Rochambeau led an offensive against British troops in Yorktown, Virginia. This was called the Battle of Yorktown. When their soldiers lost this battle, the British surrendered.

The British continued to fight the French and Spanish for two years, winning in India, Gibraltar and elsewhere.

End of the war

The American Revolution came to an end in 1783 when a peace treaty was signed in Paris, France. In the Treaty of Paris, the British King, George III accepted the independence of the colonies and recognized the newly created nation as the United States of America.

The treaty also gave all the land Britain said it owned which was west of the Appalachians as far as the Mississippi River to the new country. This land would eventually become part of the US, and lead to the creation of 35 new states (some of which later rebelled as part of the Confederate States of America) that now make up the contiguous United States. Many Loyalists fled to Canada.

Casualties

As usual for 18th-century wars, casualty figures (killed/wounded/missing/captured) for the American Revolution are poorly known. Unlike American Civil War casualties which were published in newspapers, Revolutionary War casualty reports are found in local town histories; total casualties of the Revolution are rough estimates. Estimates are around 25,000 Americans and 27,294 British and German seaman.

Revolution beyond America

The American Revolution had a strong immediate impact in Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and France. Many British and Irish Whigs openly supported the Patriots in America, and the revolution was the first lesson in politics for many Europeans who later became active during the era of the French Revolution.

The American Revolution set an example to the rest the world. For the first time in the western world, a people had successfully overthrown the rule of a major country. The revolution encouraged the people in other countries to fight for their rights, and showed that they could be successful like the Americans.

Similarly, in the early 19th century, revolutions broke out in the colonies in South America against Portugal and Spain. Years later, similar revolutions occurred in Asia and other places.

The American Revolution established the United States with its numerous civil liberties and set an example to overthrow both monarchy and colonial governments. The United States has the world's oldest written constitution, and the constitutions of other free countries often bear a striking resemblance to the US Constitution, often word-for-word in places. It inspired the French, Haitian, Latin American Revolutions, and others into the modern era.

Although the Revolution eliminated many forms of inequality, it did little to change the status of women, despite the role they played in winning independence. Most significantly, it failed to end slavery which continued to be a serious social and political issue and caused divisions that would ultimately end in civil war. While many were uneasy over the contradiction of demanding liberty for some, yet denying it to others, the dependence of southern states on slave labor made abolition too great a challenge. Between 1774 and 1780, many of the states banned the importation of slaves, but the institution itself continued.

In 1782, Virginia passed a law permitting manumission and over the next eight years more than 10,000 slaves were given their freedom. With support from Benjamin Franklin, in 1790 the Quakers petitioned Congress to abolish slavery; the number of abolitionist movements greatly increased, and by 1804 all the northern states had outlawed it. However, even many like Adams who viewed slavery as a 'foul contagion' opposed the 1790 petition as a threat to the Union. In 1808, Jefferson passed legislation banning the importation of slaves, but allowed the domestic slave trade to continue, arguing the federal government had no right to regulate individual states.

Commemorations of the Revolutionary War

After the first U.S. postage stamp was issued in 1849, the U.S. Post Office frequently issued commemorative stamps celebrating the various people and events of the Revolutionary War. However, it would be more than 140 years after the Revolution before any stamp commemorating that war itself was ever issued. The first such stamp was the 'Liberty Bell' issue of 1926.

Related pages

Images for kids

British North America, 1777 post-1763 concessions to Britain from France (green) and Spain (yellow)

Iconic 1851 painting of Washington Crossing the Delaware

British siege of Charleston, worst US defeat of the war, May 1780

American Revolution principal campaigns. British movement (red) & American (blue) The timeline shows British won most battles in the first half; Americans won most in the second.

Military Governors and Staff Officers in British North America and West Indies 1778 and 1784

USS Ranger, Capt. Jones. France gives the US flag its first foreign salute

USS Alliance, Capt. Barry won the last engagement

The 1763 Royal Proclamation set the western boundary for the 13 Colonies

In Spanish: Guerra de Independencia de los Estados Unidos para niños

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American Revolutionary War Facts for Kids

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Learn American Revolutionary War facts for kids

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Revolutionary War Names | Southern Campaign | Knowitall.org

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Americans on the British side were called "loyalists," "royalists," "Tories," "the King's men," or "Crown forces."

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DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!

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Visit DK Find Out! to learn about dinosaurs, space, animals, nature & more. Fun learning activities for kids with videos, quizzes & galleries at DKFindOut.com

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History: American Revolutionary War Timeline

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Learn about the events of the American Revolutionary War Timeline in US history.