# Canonical recap data for American Revolutionary War Begins (1775)
# Source: https://recap.at/1775/american-revolutionary-war
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: american-revolutionary-war
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1775/american-revolutionary-war"
title: American Revolutionary War Begins
aliases:
- Revolutionary War
- American War of Independence
- American Revolution
- Lexington and Concord
subtitle: Lexington and Concord's opening shots launched the conflict that would birth the first modern democratic republic and inspire global independence movements.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1775-04-19
datePrecision: day
year: 1775
decade: 1770
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by Georg
summaryLong: The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.
lede: On April 19, 1775, armed colonists clashed with British troops at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, marking the start of open warfare between Great Britain and thirteen American colonies. The conflict, which would last until 1783, transformed a political dispute over taxation and representation into a war for independence that reshaped the North American continent and established a new nation.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg/1280px-Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "American Revolutionary War"
importance: 91
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration
  value: 8 years (1775-1783)
- label: Opening engagement
  value: Battles of Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775
- label: Closing engagement
  value: Battle of Yorktown, September 1781 (major victory); Treaty of Paris signed September 3, 1783
- label: Colonial forces commander
  value: George Washington
- label: Major colonial alliance
  value: France entered war in 1778
- label: American military casualties
  value: Approximately 6,800 killed in action; 17,000 died from disease
- label: British military casualties
  value: Approximately 24,000 killed in action and from disease
- label: Declaration of Independence
  value: July 4, 1776
- label: Number of colonies
  value: "13"
timeline:
- date: 1775-04-19
  title: Battles of Lexington and Concord
  description: British regulars marching to seize colonial weapons stores encounter armed minutemen near Boston. The skirmish kills eight colonists and nine British soldiers, escalating the dispute from political confrontation to armed conflict.
- date: 1775-05-10
  title: Second Continental Congress convenes
  description: Delegates from all thirteen colonies meet in Philadelphia and establish the Continental Army, appointing George Washington as commander-in-chief.
- date: 1775-06-17
  title: Battle of Bunker Hill
  description: Colonial forces inflict heavy casualties on British troops assaulting Breed's Hill near Boston, proving the Continental Army could stand against professional soldiers.
- date: 1776-01-09
  title: Paine publishes Common Sense
  description: Thomas Paine's 47-page pamphlet argues for immediate independence and becomes the most widely read publication in the colonies, shifting public opinion toward separation.
- date: 1776-07-04
  title: Declaration of Independence adopted
  description: The Continental Congress in Philadelphia formally declares the thirteen colonies independent, articulating Enlightenment principles of natural rights and popular sovereignty.
- date: 1776-08-27
  title: Battle of Long Island
  description: British forces defeat Washington's army in the largest battle of the war, nearly destroying the Continental Army but allowing its escape to Manhattan.
- date: 1777-10-17
  title: Battle of Saratoga
  description: American forces under Horatio Gates defeat British General John Burgoyne, convincing France that the colonists could win and prompting French entry into the war.
- date: 1778-02-06
  title: Treaty of Alliance with France
  description: France formally commits to military support against Britain, providing naval power and resources that prove essential to the colonial cause.
- date: 1780-10-19
  title: Battle of Yorktown
  description: Washington and French forces under Comte de Rochambeau trap British General Cornwallis and 8,000 troops on the Virginia peninsula; the surrender effectively ends major combat operations.
- date: 1783-09-03
  title: Treaty of Paris signed
  description: Britain formally recognizes American independence and cedes all territory east of the Mississippi River to the new United States, concluding the war.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War"
  title: American Revolutionary War
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The war resulted in the first successful colonial rebellion against a European power and produced the United States Constitution, altering the trajectory of North America and inspiring independence movements worldwide. It demonstrated that armed resistance to imperial rule could succeed and established a republican government based on Enlightenment principles rather than hereditary monarchy.
categories:
- war
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
- mobilization
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: coordinated
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Armed conflict between American colonists and British forces, 1775-1783. Led to US independence and shaped modern democracy.
wikidataQid: Q40949
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Boston Gazette
  publisherSlug: boston-gazette
  headline: Bloody Skirmish at Lexington - Regulars Out!
  publishedAt: 1775-04-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival microfilm unavailable online
  excerpt: A detachment of British regulars fired upon a militia company assembled on Lexington Common on the morning of the 19th instant, killing several patriotic Americans and wounding others in what witnesses describe as an unprovoked assault.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: Massachusetts / United States
- publisher: The Pennsylvania Journal
  publisherSlug: pennsylvania-journal
  headline: Congress Convenes - Colonial Representatives Unite Against British Tyranny
  publishedAt: 1775-05-12
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival access limited
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia this week with delegates from twelve colonies resolving to present a united front against parliamentary oppression and the stationing of troops without consent.
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Pennsylvania / United States
- publisher: The London Gazette
  publisherSlug: london-gazette
  headline: Rebels in Massachusetts Engage His Majesty's Forces - Crown Reaffirms Authority
  publishedAt: 1775-05-27
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - official records repository
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Official dispatches from Boston confirm that armed colonists attacked British soldiers at Concord, prompting Crown forces to reinforce garrison positions and declare the Massachusetts charter void pending restoration of order.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: England / United Kingdom
- publisher: The Virginia Gazette
  publisherSlug: virginia-gazette
  headline: Williamsburg Buzzes with Military Preparations - Governor Dunmore's Actions Spark Outrage
  publishedAt: 1775-06-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - colonial archives
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - Virginia gentry report indignation over the Royal Governor's seizure of the colony's gunpowder stores, while local militia companies drill in preparation for potential conflict with royal authority.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: Virginia / United States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608111724/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: American Revolutionary War
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War"
