The American Revolution began in 1775 and saw colonists rebel against England for their freedom and independence. The Revolutionary War was not a war without reason; in fact, there were multiple accounts leading up to the gruesome years that followed the start of the American Revolution. Initially, the concern over taxation was the beginning of what is known as the American Revolution. The concept was simple. The American colonists were angered by the taxes the king had imposed on them. They believed they did not have to pay the king taxes over which they had no say. However, the purpose of the taxes was to repay the debt caused by the French and Indian War, fought for the protection of the colonists; therefore, the king believed that the colonists should help repay the debt incurred for their benefit. settlers; however, they did not agree and rebelled against the taxes and acts that the king began to impose on them, expressing in retaliation their famous phrase: "No taxation without representation." be imposed on the colonists. The Stamp Act imposed a tax on all paper products in the colonies. The colonists were enraged, claiming that the king could not impose taxes on them because they had no representation in parliament to speak for them. Colonists attacked and assaulted tax collectors until this law was repealed in 1766. After the Stamp Law came the Townshend Laws of 1767 which imposed taxes on tea, paint, paper, lead, and glass. Colonists reacted to Townshend's acts by boycotting all British goods until they repealed the act. When the law was repealed, only the tea was... middle of the paper... began. By 1775, the Revolution had begun with Lexington and Concord as the starting location serving as the first of many battles. . Thomas Paine aided the war with his pamphlet Common Sense which urged the colonists to join the revolution in 1786. The colonists fought hard to earn their freedom victorious behind General George Washington against the red-clad British. In 1778, an alliance was formed between the colonists and France, lending the colonists their legendary Navy to fight the English. French aid disrupted British supplies leading to British surrender and final defeat. The war lasted eight long and brutal years until the surrender occurred at Yorktown in seventeen eighty-one; despite the surrender, the treaty of paris granting america its freedom would not be signed until 1783.