16 American Revolution Facts For Kids 2023 [Must Read]
The American revolution is an important subject or topic for students of history. It should be known and understood by all the students of America to stay close to the past struggles of their nation. Today, we will read about the American revolution, and some interesting facts related to it.
What is the American Revolution?
The American Revolution was the conflict that led to the 13 American colonies of Great Britain gaining their freedom. The United States was created from the original colonies. The revolution lasted from 1775 through 1783. The revolution was a result of the oppression faced by the American people at the hands of the British.
History of the American Revolution
Even though the British ruled the colonies before the 1760s, America enjoyed a great deal of freedom. The British government was more than 3,000 miles (5,000 kilometers) away, across the Atlantic Ocean. The colonies developed their systems of governance and problem-solving. Additionally, Britain did not pay particular attention to the colonies because it was frequently at war.
However, the British government attempted to exert more authority over the colonies in the 1760s. The French and Indian War was a critical factor in this transformation. In the war of 1763, Britain beat France. However, the conflict was costly. After that, Britain determined that the American colonies should contribute to repaying their debts.
This made the citizens and the leaders of America furious. The British passed the stamp act which led to the rise of colonial protests. After that, they passed the Townshend Acts in 1767. However, when the British sent its people to capture military supplies and were confronted by the Patriot militia, open warfare began, officially starting the American Revolution.
Interesting Facts About the American Revolution
American soldiers were called Minutemen.
As they were taught to be prepared to fight “at a minute’s notice,” American soldiers became known as the Minutemen. These men established militias that guarded their cities and were prepared to move in a British onslaught at a moment’s notice. They were often younger and less trained than general army personnel. The Minutemen had their weapons and were self-taught, but they frequently lacked effective leadership.
Deborah Sampson joined the Revolutionary War under the appearance of a man.
Deborah Sampson, a fiery and devoted patriot, wanted to contribute differently to the battle than expected of women. She joined the Continental Army by disguising herself as Robert Shurtleff and had managed to avoid detection for two years despite her military prowess and a propensity for injuries. She maintained her disguise until she became critically ill in 1783 and awoke in the hospital. Unexpectedly, Sampson received an honorable discharge and an entire military pension and proceeded to give talks on her experiences as a secret female soldier throughout the war around the nation.
There was a covert plan to assassinate George Washington.
An assassination attempt on the future first president was discovered in 1776 by a covert committee just before the Declaration of Independence was written. After arriving in New York to prepare for a British attack, Washington established a committee. The most astonishing aspect of the plan was that Thomas Hickey, his personal security, was in charge. Involved were many other well-known figures, including the mayor and governor of the city of New York. Hickey was the only one put to death, as he was the closest to Washington and was thought to be the one who would have committed the murder. The committee saved Washington’s life.
Some British soldiers worked as nighttime performers.
Acting in Broadway productions was how the soldiers passed the time while the British army dominated New York City. Shakespeare’s plays were their most well-liked productions; they were chosen for both the intellectual content and the British heritage. The soldiers-turned-actors were renowned for inserting their pro-British prologues, although they never authored or performed any original plays. Some colonial armies attempted to stage their theatrical productions but were unsuccessful.
There were 200 original copies of the Declaration of Independence.
Only one fully signed and preserved copy of the Declaration of Independence is kept at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. John Dunlap, a printer, produced 200 copies of the Declaration when it was first written. All 56 members of the Second Continental Congress signed one copy, which is still on display at the National Archives. Just the names of John Hancock and Charles Thompson, the Secretary of the Congress, were on the remaining 199 broadsides. Only 26 such copies remain; the rest have been lost over time.
Top-secret messages were transmitted using invisible ink.
Using ferrous sulfate and water, Dr. James Jay developed an “invisible ink” that was used to scribble hidden messages and dried clear, making it impossible to read. One could hold the sheet over a heat source or saturate it with a showing substance to see the unseen messages. Writing between the lines in letters or on the inside back covers of books was common among George Washington and his men.
The disease claimed more soldiers’ lives than conflict.
Constant contact among people from other countries and areas meant that soldiers frequently and unwittingly traded diseases. These illnesses proved lethal for many people who lacked immunity. Smallpox was the most prevalent illness; even George Washington contracted it just before the revolution. Although we don’t have exact numbers, it is said that for every soldier who died on the battlefield, another two perished from sickness.
Paul Revere also practiced dentistry.
The well-known Paul Revere did further than ride across Boston to inform his neighbors of an impending British onslaught. Before the American Revolution, Revere was a skilled silversmith who also dabbled with dentistry, a very lucrative but untrained profession at the time. Revere was requested to identify the body of a soldier two months after his illustrious midnight ride. Revere examined the man’s mouth to see if he had the identical ivory teeth that Revere had created and wired into his jaw. Unfortunately, the body itself was too deteriorated for him to recognize.
Many female revolutionaries worked as spies.
Many ladies didn’t want to wait while their husbands were at war. Except for Deborah Sampson, they could not fight themselves, so they supported the Patriot cause by spying on British troops stationed in their cities. The Patriot forces were informed of any big British movement by market-sellers and maids who appeared friendly to the British but listened in on their talks.
One of these women, Lydia Darragh, was able to alert the American Revolutionary War forces about a British invasion of Washington in Pennsylvania. This forewarning was essential in averting a complete massacre at Whitemarsh.
Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson Forged Alliances That Aided in the War’s Victory.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, and Benjamin Franklin, another well-known Founding Father, were the driving forces behind the agreements with major European powers that enabled the Colonists to win the war. They assisted in forging alliances with the Dutch Republic, which officially entered the war in 1780, Spain, which joined the war in 1779, and France, which had been indirectly involved in the conflict since 1776.
Only a small percentage of colonists were in support of the rebellion.
The Colonists were split into three distinct organizations throughout the Revolutionary War, even though their combined efforts and vision helped the colonists win the war and achieve independence from the British. About 40 to 45 percent backed the Patriots and the uprising, while 15 to 20 percent opposed it and remained devoted to the British Crown. The remaining people tried to stay out of the conflict and maintain their impartiality.
The Paris Treaty of 1783 formally put an end to the American Revolution.
Research about the Revolutionary War reveals that after the British House of Commons voted to end the conflict, peace talks officially began in April 1782. However, the Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, by representatives of the USA, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay, as well as the then-reigning British monarch, King George III, marked the official conclusion of the Revolutionary War. The Treaty recognized the USA as an independent country and awarded it and its allies some territorial rights.
Conclusion
There are many different estimates of how many people died during this eight-year conflict, but it is evident that the men and women who died on both sides altered the course of history. After the conflict, the Colonies were recognized and admitted as a new country, forming the United States of America, as they played a significant part in reshaping the world in the centuries that followed.
In this article, we walked you through a list of facts about the American Revolution. It was a critical period of American history that has changed the way we think about this country today, and knowing more about it helps us understand where we came from.
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