Library > History & Government > United States > Colonies & the Revolutionary War

Independence Solution: The American Revolution

1999
Our entry looks at the road to revolution, the period of time between 1763-1789, in a broad sense. Although the War of Independence lasted only eight years, the Revolution really began when the first permanent English settlers set foot on the new continent. England's colonies were settled largely by emigrants who were discontented or rebellious in spirit. In America, all was strange, crude, and different than what was left behind in England. The fight to adjust created a spirit of strength, self-confidence, individualism, and a spirit of independence. As the Americans matured, they acquired privileges of self-government. Our entry explores the reasons for the war, the war itself, the aftermath of the war- the building of the three branches of government concluding with the election of George Washington as first President of the new nation.