Answer: The American Revolutionary War, sometimes known as the American War for Independence, was a war fought between Great Britain and the original 13 colonies, from 1775 to 1783. Caused by colonial resentment of British taxes and strict, impractical rules and regulations, it eventually led to the development of the United States as an independent nation. Fought from 1861 to 1865, the American Civil War was a war between the Union (almost all northern and western states) and the Confederate States of America (almost all southern states), primarily over the practice of slavery. To date, the Civil War remains the deadliest conflict in U.S. history.
In the wake of the Seven Years' War, Britain had accumulated a considerable amount of war debt. Seeking revenue, the country increased taxes on the colonies and cracked down on smuggling and tax evasion. Colonists, who were often struggling with their own economic depressions, chafed at these harsh tax acts (e.g., the Sugar Act and Stamp Act). Other laws, such as the Currency Act, which impractically regulated paper money, and the Quartering Acts, which forced colonists to house and feed British troops, caused additional discord between the 13 colonies and the crown abroad.
Although not all of the 13 colonies were fully willing to declare independence from England, the general reaction to having to pay more taxes, especially for once duty-free goods, and the requirement to house British soldiers, galvanized rebellion. Protests and boycotts eventually led to outbreaks of physical violence and Britain's punitive Townshend Acts. These events, coupled with a rising wave of anti-English publications and the geographical distance between England and the colonies, carved a path to war.
