American Revolution

Legacy of the Revolution

The Constitution, Bill of Rights, slavery, and the Revolution's lasting impact on America and the world.

Legacy of the Revolution

Loyalists During the Revolution

The American Revolution was not simply a war between the colonies and Britain; it was also a civil war among the colonists themselves. An…

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Legacy of the Revolution

Revolution Legacy and the Constitution

The American Revolution did not end with the surrender at Yorktown in October 1781 or the signing of the Treaty of Paris in September 1783.

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Legacy of the Revolution

Shays’ Rebellion

In the late summer of 1786, armed farmers in western Massachusetts shut down the courts and challenged the authority of the state…

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, ratified on March 1, 1781, served as the first constitution of the United States.…

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.…

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Constitutional Convention of 1787

The convention that met in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787, was the most consequential political gathering in American…

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Revolution and Slavery

The American Revolution produced the most profound contradiction in the nation's history: a war fought in the name of liberty that left the

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Revolution’s Impact on the Economy

The American Revolution was fought over political principles, but its consequences were profoundly economic. The eight-year war disrupted…

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Legacy of the Revolution

The Treaty of Paris, 1783

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, formally ended the Revolutionary War and established the United States as an independent…

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Legacy of the Revolution

What Happened to Loyalists After the War

The end of the Revolutionary War triggered one of the largest forced migrations in early American history. An estimated 60,000 to 80,000…

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