Overview
The American Revolution was a colonial revolt that took place between 1765 and 1783, in which the Thirteen Colonies in North America rejected British rule and established the United States of America as an independent nation. The revolution was influenced by the ideas of Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and was shaped by the leadership of figures like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. The American Revolution had a profound impact on American and world history, shaping the course of modern democracy and inspiring similar movements for independence and self-governance around the world.