- The American Revolution VS. The American Revolutionary War
Did you know that when historians talk about the American Revolution, they are not only referring to the fighting that took place? The American Revolution includes not just the American Revolutionary War but also the social, political, and cultural changes happening in eighteenth-century North America.
- The American Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775.
Although we commonly mark the beginning of the American Revolution on April 19, 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord, the unrest leading up to it started years earlier. Did you know Crispus Attucks, a sailor of African and American Indian descent, is considered one of the first casualties of the American Revolution? While in Boston on March 5, 1770, Attucks was shot and killed by British soldiers during the Boston Massacre. Today, scholars acknowledge him as one of the first casualties of the American Revolution. Learn more about Attucks's story from the National Park Service.
The Boston Gazette and Country Journal, published March 12, 1770, depicts four coffins bearing skulls and crossbones and the initials of those killed: Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, and Crispus Attucks. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress.
- Independence day is July 4, but should it be July 2?
Colonists signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However, did you know the Continental Congress declared its independence two days earlier, on July 2? John Adams assumed we would celebrate Independence Day on July 2, writing in a letter to Abigail Adams, "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."
- The Revolution was a global conflict.
Although the majority of fighting occurred along the eastern seaboard of North America, the conflict encompassed a broader global stage. American forces received support from France and Spain and engaged in naval battles around the British Isles. At the same time, Britain carried out military actions on multiple fronts, including the Caribbean, Europe, and India. To learn more about the far-reaching global impacts, explore the Revolution Around the World series by the Museum of the American Revolution.
- The American Revolution ended on September 3, 1783.
While fighting and major hostiles subsided after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781, the Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolution. With the adoption of the Constitution in 1789, the United States is among the longest-standing democracies worldwide. Learn more about why North Carolina was one of the last states to vote for ratification in the NCpedia article: Convention of 1789.