American Revolution

The American Revolution was a period between 1765 and 1783 in which the Thirteen Colonies successfully struggled for independence from Great Britain through political, social, and military means. The military conflict is known as the American Revolutionary War and lasted from 1775 to 1783.

Explore the topics below to learn more about this period through newspaper articles and clippings.

"The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker's Hill, June 17,1775," by John Trumbull

Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle of Bunker Hill, which took place on June 17, 1775, was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War. The main commanders were Major General William Howe on the British side, and Colonel William Prescott on the Americans’. The British were under siege in Boston, Massachusetts, so they planned to take the …Read More

The Battle of Lexington, by Amos Doolittle (engraver) and Ralph Earl (artist), 1775

Battles of Lexington and Concord

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775 in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, Lincoln, Menotomy (present-day Arlington), and Cambridge. They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great …Read More

Boston Tea Party

Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. In defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying any taxes, thus undercutting local …Read More

The Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776. The Declaration announced that the Thirteen Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain would regard themselves as thirteen independent sovereign …Read More