The American Revolution
A Historical Research & Reference Hub | 1763–1783
Explore the people, places, battles, political ideas, military campaigns, and original documents that shaped the American struggle for independence.
The American Revolution was more than a series of battles between British soldiers and colonial militias. It was a political crisis, an ideological conflict, a civil war within communities, and eventually an international struggle that transformed the British Atlantic world.
This research hub brings together the major events of the Revolution with the experiences of ordinary soldiers and civilians. Explore the famous campaigns, examine original historical documents, and discover the personal stories preserved in military records and Revolutionary War pension applications.
Explore the American Revolution
Where to Begin
New to the American Revolution? Begin with the political crisis that followed the French and Indian War, trace the first fighting in Massachusetts, and follow the conflict through independence, international intervention, and the Treaty of Paris.
The American Revolutionary War is generally dated from 1775 to 1783. The broader revolutionary crisis began earlier, particularly after 1763, while the consequences of independence continued long after the peace treaty.
Road to Revolution
The Revolution emerged from disputes over imperial authority, colonial rights, taxation, representation, and the future of the British colonies in North America. Independence was not the original goal of every colonial protest movement.
Britain and the Colonies
- The French and Indian War
- The Proclamation of 1763
- The Stamp Act
- The Townshend Acts
- The Tea Act
The Movement Toward Independence
- The Boston Massacre
- The Boston Tea Party
- The Coercive Acts
- The First Continental Congress
- Common Sense and Independence
Battles & Military Campaigns
Follow the Revolutionary War through its major military campaigns. The conflict shifted from Massachusetts to New York and New Jersey, extended into the northern frontier and western settlements, and eventually centered on the southern colonies.
The Opening Campaigns
- Lexington and Concord
- Bunker Hill
- The Siege of Boston
- The New York Campaign
- Trenton and Princeton
- The Saratoga Campaign
The War Expands
- Battle of Monmouth
- Siege of Savannah
- Siege of Charleston
- Battle of Camden
- Battle of Cowpens
- Guilford Courthouse
- Siege of Yorktown
Not every Revolutionary War soldier participated in a well-known engagement. Garrison duty, frontier defense, supply work, scouting, and local militia service were also part of the war. Individual participation must be established through reliable military records.
Key Locations & Historic Sites
Geography shaped the Revolution. Rivers, mountain passes, harbors, roads, and frontier settlements influenced military decisions and the movement of armies.
New England & the North
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts
- Fort Ticonderoga, New York
- Saratoga, New York
- Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- New York City, New York
The War Beyond New England
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Camden, South Carolina
- Cowpens, South Carolina
- Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina
- Yorktown, Virginia
- The Mohawk Valley
- The Ohio Valley Frontier
Key Figures of the Revolution
The Revolution involved military commanders, political leaders, diplomats, writers, Indigenous leaders, Loyalists, and people whose wartime experiences challenged the emerging nation’s claims about liberty.
Patriot Leaders
- George Washington
- John Adams
- Samuel Adams
- Thomas Jefferson
- Benjamin Franklin
- Nathanael Greene
- Henry Knox
- Ethan Allen
British, Allied & Other Leaders
- King George III
- General William Howe
- General John Burgoyne
- General Charles Cornwallis
- Marquis de Lafayette
- Comte de Rochambeau
- Admiral de Grasse
- Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea)
This collection will also examine influential women, Black Patriots and Loyalists, enslaved people seeking freedom, and the distinct political decisions made by Native American nations.
Revolutionary War Soldiers & Veterans
Behind the famous generals were thousands of ordinary men whose service helped sustain the war. Their stories survive in pension applications, muster rolls, military correspondence, land records, and family histories.
Our soldier biographies draw on original Revolutionary War records, with particular attention to service histories, firsthand testimony, military units, family connections, and unresolved historical questions.
Explore Individual Soldiers
- Elijah Blodgett
- Levi Bemis
- Isaac Annis
Additional biographies will be incorporated as the collection expands.
Explore Service Records
- Continental Army
- State Regiments
- Local Militia
- Minute Companies
- Frontier Garrisons
- Revolutionary War Pensions
American Revolution Timeline
This chronological overview follows the transformation of colonial protest into independence and international war.
1763 — A New Imperial Crisis
The Seven Years’ War ends. Britain faces substantial debt and seeks a new relationship with its North American colonies.
1765 — The Stamp Act
Colonial opposition grows over Parliamentary taxation and questions of representation.
1770 — The Boston Massacre
British soldiers kill five civilians during a confrontation in Boston, intensifying colonial political tensions.
1773 — The Boston Tea Party
Protesters destroy East India Company tea in Boston Harbor.
1774 — The First Continental Congress
Delegates from twelve colonies coordinate opposition to British policies.
1775 — War Begins
Fighting erupts at Lexington and Concord. The Second Continental Congress convenes and appoints George Washington commander in chief.
1776 — Independence Declared
Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence on July 4. The war continues through major campaigns in New York and New Jersey.
1777 — Saratoga
American victories in the Saratoga Campaign strengthen the case for a formal French alliance.
1778 — France Enters the War
France formally allies with the United States, transforming the scale and international significance of the conflict.
1779–1780 — The Southern War
Major operations intensify in Georgia and the Carolinas, including the British capture of Charleston in 1780.
1781 — Yorktown
Combined American and French forces compel Cornwallis’s army to surrender at Yorktown. The conflict is not yet formally over.
1783 — The Treaty of Paris
Britain formally recognizes American independence in the peace settlement.
Founding Documents & Primary Sources
The written record of the Revolution reveals how people explained their political beliefs, organized military resistance, and understood the meaning of independence.
Ideas & Independence
- The Declaration of Independence
- Common Sense
- The Olive Branch Petition
- The Articles of Confederation
- The Treaty of Paris (1783)
Voices from the Revolution
- Military Orders
- Letters and Diaries
- Muster Rolls
- Pension Applications
- Military Correspondence
- Contemporary Newspapers
Life During the Revolution
The war affected far more than the armies. Households experienced shortages, rising prices, disrupted trade, military occupation, disease, political division, and the absence of family members serving in the armed forces.
The Soldier’s Experience
- Weapons and Equipment
- Uniforms and Clothing
- Food and Rations
- Camp Life
- Military Medicine
- Pay and Enlistment
The Home Front
- Colonial Families
- Women and the War
- Religion and Revolutionary Politics
- Slavery and Freedom
- Trade and Inflation
- Children and Education
The Revolution as a Global War
The struggle for American independence became part of a wider international conflict. French intervention, Spanish military operations, Dutch involvement, and naval warfare changed the strategic situation facing Great Britain.
Explore the Wider Conflict
- France and the American Alliance
- Spain and the War
- The Dutch Republic
- German Auxiliary Troops
- The War at Sea
- The Caribbean Campaigns
- Diplomacy and the Peace Negotiations
The Frontier & Divided Loyalties
The Revolution was not a simple conflict between thirteen united colonies and Britain. Allegiance varied across communities, while Native American nations made their own decisions in response to competing military and diplomatic pressures.
War Beyond the Coast
- The Green Mountain Boys
- The Northern Frontier
- The Mohawk Valley
- The Ohio Valley
- Frontier Forts and Garrisons
A Divided Population
- Patriots and Loyalists
- Neutrality and Political Pressure
- Native American Nations
- Black Patriots and Loyalists
- Refugees and Displacement
Victory, Peace & the New Republic
American independence did not resolve every question raised by the Revolution. The new nation faced war debts, disputes over federal authority, unpaid veterans, questions of citizenship, and continuing conflict over western lands.
The Consequences of Independence
- The Treaty of Paris
- Demobilization of the Army
- Veterans and Pensions
- The Articles of Confederation
- Shays’ Rebellion
- The Constitutional Convention
- The Legacy of the Revolution
Revolutionary War Genealogy & Research
The surviving historical record offers opportunities to investigate the lives of soldiers and their families. Pension applications, town histories, military rolls, probate records, and land documents can help reconstruct individual experiences.
Trace a Revolutionary Ancestor
- Finding Pension Applications
- Understanding Muster Rolls
- Identifying Military Units
- Researching Revolutionary War Graves
- Evaluating Family Trees
- Resolving Conflicting Records
Understand the Records
- Military Ranks and Terminology
- State and Continental Service
- Veterans’ Pension Legislation
- Historical Place Names
- Old Handwriting and Transcriptions
- Original Sources vs. Later Accounts
Our research distinguishes documented facts from family traditions, historical possibilities, and unverified claims. When records conflict, those differences should be acknowledged rather than silently resolved.
Original Source Collections
The following institutions and collections provide starting points for studying the Revolution through original documents, historical objects, and archival records.
Federal military records, Revolutionary War pension files, founding documents, and other government records. Visit the National Archives
Maps, manuscripts, printed material, newspapers, and other historical collections. Explore the Library of Congress
Searchable correspondence and writings of major figures from the founding era. Explore Founders Online
Historical interpretation, battlefield resources, and information about preserved Revolutionary War sites. Visit the National Park Service
Manuscripts, documents, and research collections relating to colonial Massachusetts and the Revolution. Visit the Massachusetts Historical Society
Exploring the Revolution, One Record at a Time
The American Revolution was shaped by political leaders and famous commanders, but also by thousands of soldiers, families, local communities, and individuals whose names rarely appear in traditional histories.
The Yost Post seeks to connect the larger history of the Revolution with those individual lives, using original sources and carefully documented historical research wherever possible.
This hub is an expanding reference collection. New biographies, historical studies, and research resources will be added as they become available.