This country has had both a revolution and a civil war, but comparing these to those of other countries can sometimes be a challenge.
If we think of a revolution as rising up and changing the entire structure of power and society, along the lines of that of Russia or France, that experience doesn't exactly translate to the United States. In our case, the leaders of the colonies-turned-states were, in many cases, the same folks before and after 1776. All that changed was cutting off the British monarchy and Parliament at the top. It actually followed a pattern of independence movements led by local elites who wanted to get rid of the larger imperial structure and, in the process, elevate themselves into leadership. This was the pattern seen across Latin America and the Caribbean in the early 1800s.
Similarly, civil war usually involves two groups fighting for control of a nation, as between the Cavaliers and Roundheads in England in the 1600s. In the case of the United States, the Confederacy was trying to leave, not take over to impose a pro-slavery worldview on the entire country.
There are many ways to interpret the events of 1776 and 1861, but one way to think of them is that we had a revolution that wasn't really a revolution and a civil war that wasn't really a civil war. Both were wars of independence, one successful, one not.
So… hope you had a happy… Independence Day?