Process of the American Revolution

The American Revolution started gaining momentum in the early 1760's after the Seven Year
War between Britain and France over control of North America. Many colonists opposed Britain's
choice to leave an army stationed in the colonies and to tax the colonists to fund this army. This is
where the first stage of the Revolution, protest, can be said to have started. Colonists petitioned the
Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765, which placed a tax on playing cards, dice, newspapers,
and legal documents.
It was not very soon after that revolt came into play, another stage of the revolution. Mobs
began forcing stamp distributors to resign. In 1667, the British wrote the Townshend Act, placing
import duties on glass, lead, paint, paper, and tea. Colonists coordinated their refusal to import British
goods. One of the most famous incidents of mob revolt is the Boston Massacre. In 1770, a group of
British soldiers sent to Boston to enforce the Townshend Act duties fired upon an unruly mob, killing
five people. Also occurring in Boston was the Boston Tea Party. Colonists would force British ships
out of ports before unloading. Britain responded to this with the Coercive Acts (known by the
Colonists as the Intolerable Acts). These acts closed Boston Ports and increased the crowns power.
What could be the largest and most important stage of the American Revolution was the
Revolutionary War. The war began in April of 1775 when British troops were sent to seize colonial
military supplies and arrest opposing leaders. When news spread of the fighting, volunteer soldiers
went to a camp in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Second Continental Congress met on May 10th,
taking control of this make shift 'Continental Army' and appointing George Washington it's commander.
The beginning of the war did not go very well for the Colonists, losing battles in Quebec and Brooklyn
Heights on Long Island. They did, however, manage to force British forces out of Boston. A major
turning point for the Colonial Army was forming an alliance with the French after the battle at
Saratoga.
The war raged on for several years, until it finally came to an end in 1783. Britain was under
strain after so many years of war, and the British people were becoming unwilling to continue paying
taxes to support the American war. Britain realized they were losing far more than any possible gain
from this war, and struck up peace negotiations with the United states. The Treaty of Paris, signed in
September of 1783, ended all hostilities and gave the colonies their long sought after independence.