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After the British gained victory over the French in the Seven Years' War in 1763, tensions and disputes arose between Britain and the colonies over policies related to trade, trans- Appalachian settlement, and taxation, including the Stamp and Townshend Acts. They were initially largely autonomous in domestic affairs and commercially prosperous, trading with Britain, its Caribbean colonies, and other European powers via their Caribbean entrepôts.
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The American colonies were established by royal charter in the 17th and 18th centuries. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The British and Loyalist forces also included Hessian soldiers from Germany. The war was formalized and intensified following passage of the Lee Resolution, which asserted that the Thirteen Colonies were "free and independent states", by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia on July 2, 1776, and the unanimous ratification of the Declaration of Independence two days later, on July 4, 1776.ĭuring the war, American patriot forces eventually gained the support of the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Spain.
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Fighting began on April 19, 1775, at the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The American Revolutionary War (Ap– September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the military conflict of the American Revolution in which American Patriot forces under George Washington's command defeated the British, establishing and securing the independence of the United States.
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