American War of Independence

American War of Independence

Three great revolutions in the eighteenth century brought about striking changes in Western Society: the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. The American Revolution was the first political revolution. Though not so vital as the French Revolution, which was to shake the social foundations of Europe, the political changes engendered by the American Revolution provided inspiration for other anti-colonial struggles.

Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the “Declaration of Independence,” asserted even at the beginning of 1776 that Americans had ‘neither wish nor interest to separate from English monarchy’. In July 1776 the same Jefferson got his Declaration of Independence adopted at a “Continental Congress” of the 13 colonies with its assertion that ‘all men are created equal.’ It was a revolutionary statement at a time when respect to kings and nobles was universal. In this lesson we trace the foundation of English colonies in America and narrate the revolt of the colonies.