Explain how the american revolution was essentially a civil war.

Much of the war was fought colonist versus colonist.

The American Revolution split the colonists between Patriots and Loyalists. The war caused families and neighbors to fight against each other.

Though the Patriots were fighting against the British government. This doesn't mean that every colonist agreed with the Patriot cause. Those that sided with the British were referred to as Loyalists or Tories. These colonists fought with the British against their fellow colonists who fought in the Continental Army. The war was often used as a means to settle disputes that colonists had with one another.

The original source was with the conflicts of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, which continued until September 3, 1783. Spain and Netherlands also rebelled, British and India East Company creating a true world war. 80% of all American colonials were leading out rallies which transformed them into raging mobs and boycotts. They worked against those who stayed faithful to the British Crown, or those whose were "Igor at to the battle of freedom". Since the conflict lied between the parties of the same county, that is why an American revolution is termed as the civil war.

no, to many things have came in to factor