The American Revolutionary War is the first successful colonial war of independence against a European power.

Americans have developed an ideology of "republicanism" asserting that government rests on the will of the people as expressed in their local legislatures.

They demand their rights as Englishmen and "no taxation without representation".

The British insist on administering the empire through Parliament, and the conflict escalates into war.

Following the passage of the Lee Resolution, on July 2, 1776, which is the actual vote for independence, the Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence on July 4, which proclaims, in a long preamble, that humanity is created equal in their unalienable rights and that those rights are not being protected by Great Britain, and declares, in the words of the resolution, that the Thirteen Colonies are independent states and have no allegiance to the British crown in the United States.

The fourth day of July is celebrated annually as Independence Day.

In 1777, the Articles of Confederation establish a weak government that operates until 1789.