How the Revolutionary War Began The American colonists were fed up with British law. They refused to buy English goods. They formed a militia of tradesmen and farmers ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Most importantly, they joined together. All 13 colonies sent representatives to decide whether they should form a new country. That group wrote the Declaration of Independence, the document that summed up a revolution. How the Revolutionary War Began The American colonists were fed up with British law. They refused to buy English goods. They formed a militia of tradesmen and farmers ready to fight at a moment s notice. Most importantly, they joined together. All 13 colonies sent representatives to decide whether they should form a new country. That group wrote the Declaration of Independence, the document that summed up a revolution. "How the Revolutionary War Began The American colonists were fed up with British law. They refused to buy English goods. They formed a militia of tradesmen and farmers ready to fight at a moment's notice. Most importantly, they joined together. All 13 colonies sent representatives to decide whether they should form a new country. That group wrote the Declaration of Independence, the document that summed up a revolution. Lucille Recht Penner is the author of many nonfiction books for kids, including  Dinosaur Babies  and  Monster Bugs  in Random House’s Step into Reading program. She lives in Tucson, Arizona. David Wenzel  is an artist and illustrator for books for young readers and is best known for his visualization of J.R.R. Tolkien’s  The Hobbit  in graphic-novel format. His other credits include  Liberty!: How the Revolutionary War Began  and  Little David and the Giant.  He lives in Connecticut with his wife, and they have two grown sons, both artists.