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The American Revolutionary War or American War of Independence (1775–1783) began as a crisis within the British Empire and developed into a war for sovereignty. Thirteen colonies in British North America resisted imperial taxation, tighter parliamentary control, and restrictions on colonial self-government after the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763). What began with protest and resistance escalated into armed conflict at Lexington and Concord (April 1775), followed by the creation of the Continental Army under George Washington (1732–1799; commander-in-chief, 1775–1783) and the formal declaration of independence at Philadelphia on 4 July 1776.
The war was shaped by geography, naval power, alliance diplomacy, and the difficulty of controlling a large colonial population across coastal, frontier, and riverine theaters. Britain captured major cities such as New York (1776), Philadelphia (1777), Savannah (1778), and Charleston (1780), but struggled to turn occupation into lasting political control. The Patriot victory at Saratoga (1777) encouraged French intervention (1778), widening the conflict into an imperial war involving France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic against Britain. The decisive Franco-American victory at Yorktown (1781), enabled by French naval control of the Chesapeake, forced Britain toward negotiation. The Treaty of Paris (1783) formally recognized the independence of the United States and reshaped the political order of the Atlantic world.
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APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, June 06). Map of the American Revolutionary War, 1775–1783: Campaigns, Battles & Naval Power in the War for Independence. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17652/map-of-the-american-revolutionary-war-1775-1783/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the American Revolutionary War, 1775–1783: Campaigns, Battles & Naval Power in the War for Independence." World History Encyclopedia, June 06, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17652/map-of-the-american-revolutionary-war-1775-1783/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the American Revolutionary War, 1775–1783: Campaigns, Battles & Naval Power in the War for Independence." World History Encyclopedia, 06 Jun 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/17652/map-of-the-american-revolutionary-war-1775-1783/.
