American Independence Day on July 4th commemorates the birth of the United States as a sovereign nation. Originally 13 British colonies located along the eastern coast of North America, the colonists declared independence after becoming unhappy that they had to pay taxes to the British king but were not allowed representation in government. This led to the American Revolutionary War from 1775-1783, when the colonists, with help from France, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands, defeated Britain, resulting in international recognition of the new United States in the 1783 Treaty of Paris.