How many colonies rebelled against great britain

The Continental Congress voted to meet again in May to consider further action, but by that time violence had already broken out. On the night of April 18, , hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord, Massachusetts in order to seize an arms cache.

Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, and colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoats. When the Second Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, delegates—including new additions Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson —voted to form a Continental Army, with Washington as its commander in chief.

The engagement, known as the Battle of Bunker Hill , ended in British victory, but lent encouragement to the revolutionary cause. The British evacuated the city in March , with Howe and his men retreating to Canada to prepare a major invasion of New York.

By June , with the Revolutionary War in full swing, a growing majority of the colonists had come to favor independence from Britain. On July 4 , the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence , drafted by a five-man committee including Franklin and John Adams but written mainly by Jefferson. That same month, determined to crush the rebellion, the British government sent a large fleet, along with more than 34, troops to New York. British strategy in involved two main prongs of attack aimed at separating New England where the rebellion enjoyed the most popular support from the other colonies.

Washington rebounded to strike Germantown in early October before withdrawing to winter quarters near Valley Forge. The American victory Saratoga would prove to be a turning point of the American Revolution, as it prompted France which had been secretly aiding the rebels since to enter the war openly on the American side, though it would not formally declare war on Great Britain until June The American Revolution, which had begun as a civil conflict between Britain and its colonies, had become a world war.

The battle effectively ended in a draw, as the Americans held their ground, but Clinton was able to get his army and supplies safely to New York. A joint attack on the British at Newport, Rhode Island , in late July failed, and for the most part the war settled into a stalemate phase in the North. The Americans suffered a number of setbacks from to , including the defection of General Benedict Arnold to the British and the first serious mutinies within the Continental Army.

Supported by a French army commanded by General Jean Baptiste de Rochambeau, Washington moved against Yorktown with a total of around 14, soldiers, while a fleet of 36 French warships offshore prevented British reinforcement or evacuation.

But the revolution also helped to nurture a sense of a uniquely American identity. The Revolution was a colonial war for independence, but it was also a struggle over "who would rule at home.

But the Revolution's success ultimately depended on the willingness of hundreds of thousands of ordinary Americans to risk their lives and economic well-being in the patriot cause. Resources in libraries [via WorldCat].

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Please submit a comment. Reasons behind the Revolutionary War by William S. North Carolina and the Continental Congress In June , the Massachusetts legislature issued a call for all of the colonies to meet at Philadelphia to consider these problems. Halifax Resolves While soldiers fought the war on the field, North Carolina's public leaders fought for independence, too. Tories and Whigs But North Carolinians were greatly divided. A New Government In the midst of war, and with a divided population, North Carolina began trying to create a new government.

Image credit: "Walking tour: Regulator marker. American Revolution Price, William S. User Tags:. Lesson Plans. Hello, We are sorry to hear that you didn't find this article helpful! This is bad. Your name. More information about text formats. The colonists believed governments existed to serve and protect the rights and interests of its people, not to serve and protects its own interests.

So when the British government began passing laws that seemed to serve its own interests rather than that of its people, it was met with much disapproval in the colonies.

The colonists boycotted, protested and even rioted over the new laws. The British government responded to the rebellion by sending British troops to the colonies to restore order and enforce the new laws but the increased military presence only escalated the conflict. In response to the battles, the colonists formed the Continental Army in June of to help them fight the British army.

Then, on July 5, , the Continental Congress adopted a surprising piece of legislature known as the Olive Branch Petition , which was a last ditch effort to avoid going to war with Great Britain. The petition was the work of the more moderate members of Congress, who actually opposed the war, and its purpose was to appease King George III and prevent the conflict from escalating into a full blown war.

When the petition did reach the king later that month, he refused to read it and immediately rejected it. On October 27, , King George spoke at Parliament and stated that he intended to deal with the colonial rebellion with armed force and asked for assistance from foreign governments. McRae, circa On July 4, , the 13 colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. This declaration finally allowed for the United States to be officially recognized by friendly foreign governments, such as France, who refused to consider the possibility of an alliance without it.

Join or Die, political cartoon about the need for colonial unity during the French and Indian War, by Benjamin Franklin, circa Each section of the snake represents each region of the North American colonies.