“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” – Benjamin Franklin
The first shot of the revolutionary war rang out on April 19th, 1775. However, the wish for liberty had started long before. After the Seven Years War between the French and British, the bankrupted British passed several tax acts on the colonists living on the land they had won. Through 1763 to 1773, the colonists boycotted every tax act that was passed, refusing taxation without representation in the British government. When the British refused to listen, it was clear what the American colonists wanted — freedom. From Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense’ in 1776 to the Declaration of Independence, the Americans kept their goal in sight, all the way until the win at Yorktown in 1781. Settling the Treaty of Paris in 1783, Americans now celebrate this significant event every July 4th, known as Independence Day. However, their impact and influence doesn’t stop there. The American Revolution sparked the idea of liberty for many places around the world, including the notorious French Revolution during 1789.
Learn more about the American Revolution with the video below:
Painting of the Signing of the Declaration by John Trumbull, from History.com
While our revolutions are similar when it comes to relationships/alliances’ betrayal, they were very different as the goals of the rebels were different. American Revolution wanted independence from the British as the Cuban Revolution wanted a new government (communism) and a new ruler.