calling all historians - facts about American independence needed - quick!

[Cll]

Long story but my sister needs some American history facts for a proposal she's writing. So July 4th - is she right in thinking that was signing of declaration of independence from Britain? After a war called? Were any other countries involved?

Then the Civil War - which she's aware came later - was that anything to do with Independence?

Sorry if this seems thick - not an area either of us covered in O level history a hundred years ago...

all helpful comments/site suggestions appreciated

July 4th 1776 was the date that the Declaration of Independence was made including the famous words

"We hold these truths to be self-evident:

That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness "

Not sure of the dates of the war but certainly to 1770's to 1780's. The war is called the American War of Independence and was to achieve freedom from the British. The french were involved, but not sure on what basis.

American Civil War (1860 - 1865 ??) was mostly to do with Slavery - the south of the USA had an economy mostly based on slavery ( cotton plantations etc.. ) and blacks were second class citizens in all aspects of their life. The north of the USA was increasingly becoming industralised and slave owning was not so important for the economy. Also issues of human rights were becoming increasingly important. As I recall the south threatened to secede from the union - Abraham Lincoln was the president of the USA and the government went to war to preserve the union and to abolish slavery.

Haven't been able to find a good site but have cobbled this together from memory and web.

Just got this back from my boyfriend, not sure it adds any more info but...:

I guess independence from Britain - American War of Independence. France probably helped the states if not in manpower in finance.

As the population spread and the frontier expanded more states joined the union – however the southern states which used slavery to prop up its cotton rich economy became peturbed by the liberal north’s anti-slavery sentiments and modern outlook and possibly some tariffs on cotton and fearing the worst one or two followed by more seceded from the union. The war was to rejoin the union and was fought in the name of slavery.

France did help the americans against the British (La Fayette was the french general who was involved, he left for America from the french port of St Jean de Luz, in the basque country).
yet another reason why the french and the english 'dislike' each other!!