The American Revolution

Grade 4 · Social Studies · Study Guide

Learn how the thirteen American colonies fought for independence from Britain and became the United States of America.

The American Revolution was the war American colonists fought to gain independence from Great Britain. Before the Revolution, thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast were ruled by the British king, King George III.

The colonists grew angry because Britain passed laws that taxed them without giving them any say in the matter. The phrase "no taxation without representation" became a rallying cry. Events like the Boston Massacre in 1770 and the Boston Tea Party in 1773 increased tensions between colonists and British soldiers.

In 1775, the first battles of the Revolution were fought at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. In 1776, colonial leaders gathered in Philadelphia, where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. This document explained why the colonies were breaking away from Britain and stated that all men are created equal with rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

General George Washington led the Continental Army against the British. France became an important ally, sending soldiers and supplies. After years of fighting, the British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. The Treaty of Paris in 1783 officially recognized the United States as an independent nation.

Key terms

Colony: A territory controlled by a faraway country
Taxation without representation: Being taxed by a government you have no vote in
Declaration of Independence: The 1776 document declaring the colonies free from British rule
Continental Army: The colonial army led by George Washington during the Revolution
Treaty of Paris: The 1783 agreement that ended the Revolution and recognized U.S. independence
Patriot: A colonist who supported independence from Britain

Flashcards

Boston Tea Party: 1773 protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor to oppose taxes
George Washington: Commander of the Continental Army and later the first President of the United States
King George III: The British king who ruled the colonies before the Revolution
Lexington and Concord: The sites of the first battles of the American Revolution in 1775
Declaration of Independence: Document signed July 4, 1776, declaring the colonies independent from Britain
Loyalist: A colonist who remained loyal to the British king during the Revolution
Continental Congress: The governing body of colonial representatives that led the Revolution
Ally: A country that helps another country, such as France helping the American colonists

Questions

What phrase did colonists use to protest British taxes?
1. Liberty or death
2. No taxation without representation
3. Give me freedom or nothing
4. Down with the king
Show answer
Answer: No taxation without representation
Colonists protested that Britain taxed them without allowing them to vote on those taxes, using the phrase 'no taxation without representation.'
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence.
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Answer: True
Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776, with help from Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.
Where did the British army surrender to end the Revolutionary War?
1. Boston, Massachusetts
2. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3. Yorktown, Virginia
4. New York City, New York
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Answer: Yorktown, Virginia
The British General Cornwallis surrendered to General Washington at Yorktown, Virginia in 1781, effectively ending the war.
The agreement that officially ended the American Revolution was called the Treaty of ____.
Show answer
Answer: paris
The Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783, officially ended the Revolutionary War and recognized U.S. independence.
France helped the American colonists during the Revolutionary War.
Show answer
Answer: True
France was a crucial ally, providing soldiers, ships, and supplies that helped the Americans defeat Britain.

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