In the Revolutionary War it was how they wanted their freedom and their right to being free, independence. The problem increased between the residents of Great Britain's 13 colonies and government which made it seem as if they were the boss of everyone. Problems between British troops and militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the problem, by the summer they waging war against the British. On the colonist's side was the French, turning that war into a international problem. After the French joined the colonists in the war, they helped the American Army force the British to surrender at Yorktown, Virginia in 1779. They won their independence, but the fighting didn't end until 1783.