American Revolution

The American Revolution (pronunciation: /əˈmɛrɪkən ˌrɛvəˈluːʃ(ə)n/) refers to the period of political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America.

Etymology

The term "American Revolution" is derived from the Latin word "revolutio", meaning "a turn around". In this context, it refers to the political and social changes that resulted in the overthrow of the British rule and the establishment of the United States of America.

Related Terms

Continental Congress: The governing body by which the American colonial governments coordinated their resistance to British rule during the first two years of the American Revolution.
Declaration of Independence: The statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule.
George Washington: The first President of the United States (1789–1797), the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States.
Treaty of Paris (1783): The agreement, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Great Britain and representatives of the United States of America on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War.