North America · 1770–1800
American Revolution
Commander of the Continental Army and first president of the United States after the break with Britain.
George Washington led the Continental Army through the American Revolutionary War. The siege of Yorktown in 1781 forced a British surrender and opened the path to the Treaty of Paris. He later presided over the Constitutional Convention and served two terms as president.
Theme. Independence · Republicanism · Self-government
Key figures. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Marquis de Lafayette
Outcome. British recognition of American independence and a federal republic.
Casualties. War deaths are estimated in the tens of thousands across all sides, including disease.
Influence. A reference point for later independence movements in the Americas.
“Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.”