The Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence

Chapter 8 · Questions 8-11, 76-81, 85

What this chapter covers

  • The American Revolutionary War.
  • The Declaration of Independence.
  • The creation of the United States of America.
  • Winning the war and the treaty of 1783.

Causes of the American Revolutionary War

In 1775, the colonists went to war with Great Britain. This war was called the American Revolutionary War. During the war, the colonists declared their independence from Great Britain, and they created the United States of America. The war started in 1775 and ended in 1783, when Great Britain signed a treaty that said the United States was an independent country.

The reason the colonists fought the British was because they did not have self-government.

When the colonists created the 13 colonies, each colony had its own colonial congress. A colonial congress was a legislative branch that made laws for each colony.

Great Britain allowed the colonies to have a colonial congress as long as they paid taxes to Great Britain, obeyed all other British laws, and provided Great Britain with materials like cotton, tobacco, and rice.

In the 1760s, Great Britain was fighting a war both in Europe and in North America. Great Britain needed help paying for the war, so it passed laws that increased taxes on the 13 original colonies. The colonists did not think it was fair that Great Britain raised their taxes without allowing representatives from the colonies to vote on it. Many colonists began to protest against the taxes because they thought it was not fair to have taxation without representation.

Great Britain responded by passing laws to punish the colonists. Great Britain made the colonists pay more taxes and made the colonial congresses illegal. These taxes and laws made the colonists even angrier. Many colonists no longer wanted to be part of Great Britain. They wanted to create their own country and govern themselves.

In 1775, colonists in Massachusetts began fighting the British. Soon, all 13 original colonies were fighting against Great Britain. The colonists created an army, and George Washington was named the general of the colonial army. This is one reason that George Washington is called the “Father of Our Country.”

Engraving of George Washington on horseback taking command of the American army at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in July 1775
"Washington Taking Command of the American Army," by Currier & Ives. Courtesy of the National Archives, 532915.

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. It announced our independence from Great Britain. This is why we celebrate Independence Day on July 4.

Another word for “declaration” is “statement.” Another word for “independence” is “freedom.” The Declaration of Independence is a statement of freedom.

The handwritten Declaration of Independence with signatures at the bottom
The Declaration of Independence. Courtesy of the National Archives.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. In it, Jefferson wrote that everyone has the right to:

  • Life.
  • Liberty.
  • The pursuit of happiness.
Engraving of Thomas Jefferson and the committee presenting the Declaration of Independence in Independence Hall
In John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence," Thomas Jefferson and his committee present the formal statement of independence from Great Britain. Courtesy of the National Archives.

When the colonists adopted the Declaration of Independence, they created the United States of America. The 13 original colonies became the 13 original states.

The 13 original states
  • New Hampshire
  • Massachusetts
  • Rhode Island
  • Connecticut
  • New York
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Delaware
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • North Carolina
  • South Carolina
  • Georgia

Winning the American Revolutionary War

The United States stopped fighting with Great Britain in 1781. The British Army surrendered to the United States at the Battle of Yorktown in the state of Virginia. There was no more fighting, but the American Revolutionary War did not officially end until the U.S. and Great Britain signed a treaty in 1783. In the treaty, Great Britain agreed that the United States had won the war and that the United States was an independent nation.

Illustration of American, British, and Hessian soldiers fighting at the Siege of Yorktown
Soldiers fight at the Siege of Yorktown. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Benjamin Franklin was a Founder who was famous for many things. One thing Benjamin Franklin was famous for was being a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who travels to other countries to represent the United States. Benjamin Franklin was the diplomat who negotiated the treaty with Great Britain in 1783.

Portrait of Benjamin Franklin wearing a fur collar
Benjamin Franklin. Image from the USCIS study guide.
Other facts about Benjamin Franklin
  • Oldest member of the Constitutional Convention.
  • First Postmaster General of the United States.
  • Writer of Poor Richard’s Almanac.
  • Started the first free libraries.

What to remember

  • The Revolutionary War began in 1775 because the colonists did not have self-government.
  • “Taxation without representation” was a major complaint against Great Britain.
  • George Washington was the general of the colonial army.
  • The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and Thomas Jefferson wrote it.
  • The Declaration says everyone has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
  • The war ended with the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 and a treaty in 1783.
  • Benjamin Franklin negotiated the treaty with Great Britain.

Test what you just read. The matching quiz asks every question from this topic and shows the accepted answers after each one.

Adapted from One Nation, One People: The USCIS 2025 Civics Test Study Guide (M-1175), a U.S. government publication. Download the original PDF from USCIS. Selected photographs and diagrams from the original guide are reproduced here with credit.