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Everything you've ever wanted to know about the American Revolution

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AmericanRevolution.org
  • The War
    • Leadup to Revolution
    • Armies
    • Armaments
    • Clothing & Culture
    • Battles & Campaigns
    • Politics
    • Looking back at the Revolution
  • 18th Century America
    • The Colonies
    • 18th Century Life
    • Paintings
    • Songs
    • Genealogy
  • People of the Revolution
    • Leaders & Generals
    • Soldiers
    • Politicians & Activists
    • African Americans
    • Native Americans
    • Women
    • Veterans
    • Artists

Leadup to Revolution

Learn about the leadup to the American Revolution, and how the conflict started.

Search results for:

Albany Plan of Union 1754 | Summary, Purpose, Significance

Benjamin Franklin by Robert Feke, c. 1746.

Learn about the Albany Plan of Union, a proposal by Benjamin Franklin to unite the American colonies under a central government in 1754.

Explanations

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763-1766) | Summary, Significance, Effects

Pontiac depicted using a hatchet.

Learn about Pontiac's Rebellion, a Native American uprising against settlers in the Thirteen Colonies from 1763 to 1766.

Explanations

Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676 | Summary, Significance, Causes

Standoff between Nathaniel Bacon and William Berkeley in Jamestown.

Read a summary of Bacon's Rebellion of 1676, and learn about the causes, aftermath, and significance of America's first popular uprising.

Explanations

Salutary Neglect | Beginning, End, Explanation, Effects

Ships trading at port in the 17th century.

Learn about Salutary Neglect, the unofficial relaxation in enforcement of colonial trade regulations by the British Crown in the 18th century.

Explanations

The Pine Tree Riot of 1772 | Summary & Explanation

Pine Tree Flag

Learn about the Pine Tree Riot that occurred in Weare, New Hampshire, in 1772, in the leadup to the American Revolution.

Explanations

The Enlightenment’s Role in the American Revolution

Learn about the role of Enlightenment ideals and Enlightenment thinking in contributing towards the American Revolution.

Explanations

The Great Awakening’s Role in the American Revolution

George Whitefield.

Learn about the role that Christian revival in the 1730s and 1740s, also known as the Great Awakening, played in the American Revolution.

Explanations

The French and Indian War’s Role in the American Revolution

Victory of French troops at Carillon, painting.

Learn how the French and Indian War led to the American Revolution. Discover how the Seven Year's War helped cause the Revolutionary War.

Explanations

Causes of the American Revolution | Political, Economic, Social

Learn about the causes of the American Revolution. Discover the political, economic and social factors that led up to the Revolutionary War.

Analysis

Sons of Liberty Explained | Who They Were & What They Did

Samuel Adams by John Singleton Copley, c. 1772.

Learn about the Sons of Liberty, including who they were, and what they did to help the cause of the American Revolution.

Explanations

Powder Alarm of 1774 | Summary, Significance, Facts

The Powder House.

Learn about the Powder Alarm incident of 1774. Discover what occurred, and learn about the event's significance in the leadup to war.

Explanations

First Continental Congress | Summary, Outcomes, Facts

Painting of the First Continental Congress.

Learn about the First Continental Congress. Read a summary of the event, and discover some interesting facts about the congress.

Explanations

Burning of the Gaspee | Summary of the 1772 Gaspee Affair

A ship on fire, with a number of rowboats around it full of men.

Learn about the burning of the Gaspee, a British customs enforcement ship. Read a summary of the Gaspee Affair.

Explanations

Boston Tea Party Explained | Summary, Effects, Facts

Lithograph showing members of the Sons of Liberty onboard a British tea ship in Boston Harbor, dumping tea into the sea.

Learn about the Boston Tea Party. Discover what happened in Boston in 1773, and find out about the aftermath and effects of the incident.

Explanations

Boston Massacre of 1770 | Summary, Causes, Effects, Facts

Political cartoon showing British forces opening fire on a crowd of civilians in Boston.

Learn about the Boston Massacre of 1773. Discover what caused the massacre and the effects it had in the leadup to the Revolutionary War.

Explanations

Quebec Act of 1774 | Summary, Effects, Facts

Learn about the Quebec Act of 1774. Discover what the act did, the effects it had, and how colonists reacted.

Explanations

Proclamation Line of 1763 | Summary, Effects, Facts

Proclamation Line map.

Learn about the Proclamation Line of 1763. Discover how the Royal Proclamation worked, and the effects it had on the colonists.

Explanations

Navigation Acts | Summary, Effects, Facts

Ships trading at port in the 17th century.

Learn about the Navigation Acts and how they affected the American Revolution. Read a summary of the acts and learn about their effects.

Explanations

Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts) | Summary, Effects, Facts

A political cartoon showing British lawmakers forcing a Native American woman, representing the Thirteen Colonies, to drink tea.

Learn about the Intolerable Acts, also known as the Coercive Acts passed by British parliament in 1774 on the Thirteen Colonies.

Explanations

Tea Act of 1773 Explained For Kids

Read a simple, easy to understand explanation of the Tea Act of 1773, written for kids. Includes a summary and effects of the Act.

Explanations

Tea Act of 1773 | Context, Purpose, Effects, Facts

Political cartoon showing Bostonians forcing a British excise officer to drink tea, after tarring and feathering him.

Learn about the Tea Act of 1773. Discover the purpose of this law, and the effects it had. Plus, learn how colonists responded to the Tea Act.

Explanations

Townshend Acts of 1767-68 | Summary, Facts, Reaction

Political cartoon showing a man reading a public notice about tax on tea.

Learn about the Townshend Acts of 1767-68. Read a summary of what the acts did as well as fun facts, and discover how the colonists reacted.

Explanations

Quartering Acts of 1765 and 1774 | Summary, Facts, Reaction

British soldiers plundering a home for valuables.

Learn about the Quartering Acts of 1765 and 1774. Read a summary of the acts and key facts, and learn how the colonists reacted to the Quartering Acts.

Explanations

Sugar Act of 1764 | Summary, Effects, Facts, Reaction

Learn about the Sugar Act of 1764. Discover how this law affected the Thirteen Colonies, and how people reacted to it.

Explanations

Stamp Act of 1765 | Meaning, Reaction, Facts

Political cartoon showing the burning of the Stamp Act in Boston in celebration of its repeal.

Learn about the Stamp Act of 1765. Discover how this new tax worked, and how the colonists reacted to it.

Guides

Declaratory Act of 1766 | Definition, Purpose, & Reaction

British political cartoon showing a funeral for the Stamp Act.

Learn about the Declaratory Act of 1766. Discover why the British implemented this act, and how people reacted to it in the Thirteen Colonies.

Explanations

No Taxation Without Representation – Meaning, Origins & More

Political cartoon showing a skull, protesting against the Stamp Act.

Learn about the Patriot slogan "No taxation without representation", including what this slogan means, who said it, and where it comes from.

Explanations

Was the American Revolution Avoidable?

Discover whether or not the American Revolution was inevitable. We discuss whether or not the Revolutionary War could have been avoided.

Analysis

William Pitt’s Stamp Act Speech

William Pitt portrait.

Read William Pitt's speech to the British House of Parliament calling for the repeal of the Stamp Act.

Quotes

Paul Revere’s Account of the Start of the American Revolution

Paul Revere watercolor.

Learn how the American Revolution started, in the words of Paul Revere - Sons of Liberty member, silversmith, and engraver.

Primary Sources
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  • The War
    • Leadup to Revolution
    • Armies
    • Armaments
    • Clothing & Culture
    • Battles & Campaigns
    • Politics
    • Looking back at the Revolution
  • 18th Century America
    • The Colonies
    • 18th Century Life
    • Paintings
    • Songs
    • Genealogy
  • People of the Revolution
    • Leaders & Generals
    • Soldiers
    • Politicians & Activists
    • African Americans
    • Native Americans
    • Women
    • Veterans
    • Artists

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