On July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, leaders from thirteen British colonies in North America approved a declaration. It said that "all men are created equal" and have rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," and that the colonies were now free and independent states. This was the Declaration of Independence, written mostly by Thomas Jefferson.
Key idea
The colonists had protested British taxes passed without their votes: "no taxation without representation." Fighting began in 1775. Led by George Washington and helped by France, the Americans won the Revolutionary War, and Britain recognized their independence in 1783. In 1787 they wrote the Constitution, and in 1789 Washington became the first president.
Americans were divided. Patriots wanted independence; Loyalists wanted to stay British; many people just hoped to stay out of the fighting. Enslaved people and American Indian nations made hard choices too, and some fought on each side, hoping for freedom or to keep their lands.
Worked example: How long was the war?
The fighting began in 1775, and the peace treaty was signed in 1783. About how long did the war last?
- 1,783 − 1,775 = 8.
Answer: About eight years.
Common mistake
Thinking the war ended when the Declaration was signed in 1776. Declaring independence was one thing; winning it took until 1783.
Try it at home
- Read the opening of the Declaration of Independence aloud, from "We hold these truths to be self-evident."
- Write a family "declaration": three rights you think everyone in your home should have, and three duties that go with them.
Going further. In Young Learners: The Declaration of Independence and George Washington. In U.S. History I: The Declaration of Independence and The Revolutionary War. The young readers' path of American State Papers.