American Revolution

The political and military struggle in which the Thirteen Colonies won independence from Great Britain and established the United States.

Stamp Act Congress: A 1765 meeting of colonial delegates that coordinated opposition to the Stamp Act. Its intercolonial protest foreshadowed the political coordination later used against Britain.
Seven Years' War: A global conflict from 1756 to 1763 that reshaped European empires and expanded British control in North America. Britain's war debts and new imperial policies helped trigger colonial resistance.
George Washington: The commander in chief of the Continental Army and the first president of the United States. His leadership held the army together through defeat, hardship, and eventual victory.
Articles of Confederation: The first constitution of the United States, in force from 1781 until 1789. The states' initial national government reflected deep suspicion of centralized power.
Glorious Revolution: The 1688–1689 overthrow of James II and establishment of constitutional monarchy in England. It changed English political power without severing the empire as the American revolt did.
Continental Congress: A series of assemblies of colonial delegates that coordinated resistance and governed during the independence struggle. It turned separate colonial resistance into continental political action.
Proclamation of 1763: A British royal decree that restricted colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its limits angered colonists seeking western land and sharpened disputes over imperial authority.
Thomas Jefferson: An American statesman who drafted the Declaration of Independence and later became president. His draft gave the independence movement its best-known statement of political principles.
United States Constitution: The supreme law of the United States, establishing its federal government and dividing authority among its branches. Its adoption replaced the wartime confederation with a stronger federal system.
Haitian Revolution: The 1791–1804 revolution that ended French colonial rule and slavery in Saint-Domingue, establishing Haiti. It pursued independence alongside the abolition of slavery, unlike the American settlement.

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