UNITED STATES INDEPENDENCE

The desire for independence of the thirteen American colonies, which

were forged during years of conflict with the British for their tax and
monopoly with uprisings as the Boston Tea measures, erupted on April
18, 1775 when the incident occurred Lexington: A group of British
soldiers traveling from Boston to Concord to confiscate ammunition
fired at a group of militants in the town of Lexington, thus making the
spark that began the American Revolutionary War.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONTEST
After the incident, the British were forced to retreat to Boston, which
had some 4,000 "redcoats" sent to appease the region. The rebels,
meanwhile, had already recruited a popular army between supporters
of independence and, in May, the British were besieged in Boston by a
group of militants already exceeded 10,000. The British called for
reinforcements and his aid were sent some 6,000 soldiers.
Massachusetts was under martial law.
At the same time, he had met in Philadelphia called the Second
Continental Congress, composed of representatives of the Thirteen
Colonies and served as a national provisional government. Among its
actions include the appointment as commander of George
Washington, who in July went to Boston to organize the army and
equip it with uniforms and weapons. The Siege of Boston continued
until March 1776, when the British were forced to retreat to sea in
their nearly 120 ships, after becoming aware of the real extent of the
conflict and accept that they were mired in a real war.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress signed the United States
Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson based on
the Virginia Declaration of Rights, signed just a month before. Among
the 56 lawmakers were also present George Washington, John Adams
and Benjamin Franklin.
The Congress was also responsible for the creation in 1777 of the first
American flag, made of 13 stripes and 13 stars representing the
Thirteen Colonies.
After leaving Boston, the British ships, meanwhile, had gone to New
York, where they were joined by new troops sent from England under
the command of William Howe. British forces already had about
30,000 men.
The conflict was developing as a guerrilla war until October 1777,
when the British troops were forced to surrender after the Battle of
Saratoga in upstate New York. The fact served to lift the spirits of the
settlers, who are found thus in a position to launch an offensive
against the British army, and to generate interest in the race of the
other great powers of the time: France and Spain.

Both powers were faced with England, by what they saw in the
conflict a chance to recover. In February 1778 France formally entered
the war and Spain began collaborating with the settlers by sending
money and weapons. A year later, Spain declared war on England.
With the participation of these powers, England was forced to divert
troops to Europe, where their lands were threatened. With the
advance against England, Holland was also decided to take part in the
contest, hoping to capitalize on their positions regarding overseas.
THE END OF THE WAR
The settlers were advancing until British troops were reduced to
Virginia where, in 1781, an army of some 16,000 Americans and
French men led by George Washington at Yorktown besieged some
8,000 British soldiers, who were forced to surrender. After this, Britain
had no choice but to sue for peace.
The September 3, 1783 the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war was
signed. The treaty, among other things, recognized the independence
of the Thirteen Colonies, which would be renamed the United States
and occupy the territories between Florida and Canada, reaching as
far east as the Mississippi River.
SCOPE
Apart from the territorial gains made by the powers that intervened in
the conflict and mark the beginning of the loss of British hegemony,
the American Revolutionary War and the events that preceded it,
have been considered the first of Liberal Bourgeois Revolutions, since
the legal basis of the US Federal Government, which had begun to
take shape with the Virginia Declaration of Rights and later with the
Declaration of Independence, were based on the principles of the
Enlightenment.
These bases were developed during the conflict, and especially after
its completion, culminating in 1786 with the signing of the United
States Constitution, which has remained as the supreme law of the
land until now.