Era of the American Revolution


“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God!” —Patrick Henry
	The American Revolution, which began in earnest at Lexington on April 19, 1775, and was formalized with the passing of the motion for independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, is the creative act of the American republic. We Americans of the 21st century tend to take our freedom and constitutional protections for granted, but they were hard won, and the result which was achieved was never a foregone conclusion. Surely the United States would eventually have broken out of the British Empire, but the path might well have been similar to that of Canada, without a revolutionary war. The Constitution was ratified by the narrowest of margins in key states, and had the first president and his successors been different men, the country might not have survived, even under that founding document.
Documents Albany Plan of Union James Otis on Liberty Stamp Act Resolutions Continental Congress Patrick Henry on Liberty The Great Declaration “Common Sense” Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom Virginia Bill of Rights Blacks Petition Articles of Confederation The United States Constitution Constitution Debate Henry on the Constitution Franklin on the Constitution Washington's Farewell Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions	“The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.—I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” —John Adams to Abigail, July 3, 1776 Topics: Introduction: The Revolutionary Era Background Events The Revolution 1775-1777 The Revolution 1778-1783 America under the Articles of Confederation, 1783-89 Constitutional Convention America in the 1790s, Part 1 America in the 1790s, Part 2 Recommended Reading
Updated December 28, 2007