Lesson 9 · 18 min
This lesson explains why the colonists broke away from Britain, what the Declaration of Independence says, and how the Americans won the Revolutionary War.
By the 1700s, there were 13 British colonies along the Atlantic coast. Britain fought a long and costly war in America, the French and Indian War, which ended in 1763. To pay its debts, the British government began to put new taxes on the colonists.
New laws taxed sugar (Sugar Act, 1764), printed papers like newspapers and legal documents (Stamp Act, 1765), and goods like glass, paper, and tea (Townshend Acts, 1767). The colonists had no representatives in Parliament, the British lawmaking body in London. They said 'No taxation without representation,' which means they should not pay taxes when they had no vote on those taxes.
Britain also made colonists give British soldiers a place to stay, sometimes in their own houses. This is called quartering or boarding. Above all, the colonists were angry because they did not have self-government, the power to make their own laws.
In 1770, British soldiers fired into a crowd in Boston and killed five people. This event is called the Boston Massacre. A massacre is the killing of people who cannot defend themselves.
In 1773, Britain passed the Tea Act. To protest, colonists threw chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. This is called the Boston Tea Party.
Britain punished Massachusetts in 1774 with harsh laws that closed Boston Harbor and limited town meetings. Colonists called them the Intolerable Acts, and Britain called them the Coercive Acts. Intolerable means too bad to accept.
In April 1775, fighting began at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This was the start of the American Revolution, also called the Revolutionary War or the War for Independence. In June 1775, the Americans fought bravely at the Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston.
Leaders from the colonies met in Philadelphia as the Continental Congress. They chose Thomas Jefferson to write a declaration, with help from John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. On July 4, 1776, Congress adopted (officially approved) the Declaration of Independence, which said the colonies were now free from British control.
The Declaration says that 'all men are created equal.' Today we understand this to mean that all people are created equal. It says people have rights that no government can take away, including 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.' These are called natural rights or inherent rights, because every person is born with them.
The Declaration also says that governments get their power from the consent, or agreement, of the people. This idea is called the social contract. If a government takes away the people's rights, the people have the right to change it.
These ideas also guide the U.S. Constitution: equality, liberty, natural rights, the social contract, limited government, and self-government. Limited government means the government's power has limits set by law. Self-government means the people rule themselves through leaders they choose.
George Washington led the Continental Army. On a cold night in December 1776, he and his soldiers crossed the icy Delaware River and surprised enemy soldiers at the Battle of Trenton in New Jersey. This victory gave Americans new hope.
In 1777, the Americans won the Battle of Saratoga in New York. This victory was a turning point, because it helped convince France to join the war on the American side. That winter, Washington's army camped at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania, where soldiers suffered from cold, hunger, and disease but kept training.
In 1781, American and French forces trapped the British army at Yorktown, Virginia, and the British general surrendered. This mostly ended the fighting. In 1783, Britain signed a peace treaty, the Treaty of Paris, and recognized the United States as an independent country.
After independence, the 13 colonies became the 13 original states. All of them were on the Atlantic coast. The 13 stripes on the American flag still remember them today.
An easy way to remember them is by region. In New England, in the north: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. In the middle: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. In the south: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Practice saying them from north to south along the coast. Choose the names that are easiest for you, and practice until you can say five of them without stopping.
The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776. It told the world that the 13 colonies were free from Britain. It also says all people are created equal and have rights that no government can take away. Thomas Jefferson was its main writer.
The Declaration of Independence said the colonies were now free and independent states. It was approved in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. That is why Americans celebrate Independence Day on the Fourth of July.
Both documents share the same basic ideas. People are equal and are born with natural rights. Government gets its power from the people, and that power is limited. You must name two of these ideas.
These famous words are in the Declaration of Independence. They name rights that the writers believed all people have. Memory hook: the Constitution starts with "We the People", but "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" comes from the Declaration.
The American colonies fought Great Britain to become a free country. This war lasted from 1775 to 1783. It has several names, but they all mean the same war.
The colonists were angry because Britain made laws and taxes for them, but they had no vote in the British Parliament. Their famous slogan was "no taxation without representation." Events like the Boston Tea Party in 1773 showed this anger.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, when he was 33 years old. A small group in Congress helped him make changes. Jefferson later became the third president.
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. That is why Americans celebrate Independence Day every year on the Fourth of July. Memory hook: 1776 is the country's birth year.
The American Revolution had many key moments, from early battles to the final victory. At Valley Forge, Washington's army lived through a very hard winter. The British surrender at Yorktown in 1781 was the last major battle of the war.
The 13 original states were the 13 British colonies that declared independence in 1776. All of them are on or near the Atlantic coast in the east. Tip: learn them from north to south, starting with New Hampshire and ending with Georgia.
The Declaration of Independence told the world that the 13 colonies were now free from Great Britain. It was adopted on July 4, 1776. That is why Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4.
The Declaration of Independence says that all people have rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." You must name two of these three. Liberty means freedom.
The colonists were angry because Britain made them pay high taxes but gave them no vote in the British government ("taxation without representation"). British soldiers also stayed in colonists' homes, and the colonists could not govern themselves. Later, the Third Amendment limited putting soldiers in private homes.
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He later became the third President of the United States. His face is on the two-dollar bill and the nickel.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. This date is the birthday of the nation. Americans celebrate it every year as Independence Day.
The 13 original states were the 13 British colonies on the East Coast that declared independence. You need to name three. Many people remember New York, Virginia, and Georgia, or Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
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Lesson text is original study material based on the USCIS 2025 Civics Test Study Guide topics. Editorial status: draft, pending expert review.