Skip to content Skip to content
AmericanRevolution.org

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

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
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

Politics

Learn about the different political power plays, alliances, and spying scandals that occurred during the American Revolution.

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

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

Join or Die Snake Cartoon | Origin, Significance, Meaning

Join, or Die political cartoon, shows a rattlesnake dissected into eight pieces.

Learn about "Join or Die", a political slogan from the pre-Revolutionary War period, and discover its continued significance, and how it's used today.

Explanations

The Suffolk Resolves – Summary & Significance

The house in Milton, PA, where the Suffolk Resolves were adopted.

Explanations

Common Sense By Thomas Paine | Summary & Significance

The cover of Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

Learn about Common Sense, a political pamphlet published by Thomas Paine during the early stages of the American Revolution.

Explanations

Olive Branch Petition of 1775 | Summary, Significance, Facts

Olive Branch Petition signature page.

Find out about the Olive Branch Petition. Discover the significance of the petition, learn about its purpose, and read key facts.

Explanations

Second Continental Congress | Summary, Achievements, Facts

Congress Voting Independence, 1801 โ€” James Wilson stands in the center, facing left.

Learn all about the Second Continental Congress. Read a summary of what occurred, as well as interesting facts.

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

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

American Revolution Propaganda | Examples & Themes

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

Learn about the different types of propaganda used by both sides during the Revolutionary War, including common themes used.

Pictures Primary Sources

American Revolution Political Cartoons | 9 Examples

Join, or Die political cartoon, shows a rattlesnake dissected into eight pieces.

View 9 examples of political cartoons published during the American Revolution. Learn about Patriot and Loyalist perspectives of the conflict.

Pictures Primary Sources

Spain Offers Covert Aid to American Colonists – 1776

Read this letter written by Luis de Unzaga, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, promsing to provide aid to the Continental forces in late 1776.

Letters Primary Sources

Spain’s Involvement in the American Revolution

Learn about the role Spain played in the Revolution. Discover how Britain's conquest of Spanish territory led to their support for American Patriots.

Analysis
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Useful Links

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • 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

Get the latest Revolutionary articles,
essays, fun facts, and more:

Get the latest Revolutionary articles, essays, fun facts, and more:

© 2025 • American Revolution •  DMCA.com Protection Status