[rockrr]

The colonialists didn’t secede - they openly rebelled.

[Svartalfiar]

The colonialists didn’t secede - they openly rebelled.

Seceding is one form of rebelling - rebellion is a catch-all term for any acts against the ruling authority, from protests to revolt/secession. What do you think the Declaration of Independence was? A notice to the British government that that were no longer accepting their legal rule, they were establishing their own exclusive sovereignty. Also known as secession.