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Battles of Trent and New Jersey
In the American Revolution, a series of engagements won by the Continental Army against Hessian and British forces in New Jersey. The battles are notable as the first successes won by the Revolutionary general George Washington in the open field. The victories restored confidence in Washington. -
Declaration of Independence was written
The Declaration of Independence was the first formal statement by a nations people asserting their right to choose their own government. The congress adopted the DOI written largely by Jefferson in Philadelphia on July 4, a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
The battle of Saratoga occurred during the second year of the American Revolution. It consisted of two crucial battles which were fought eighteen days apart, this was a victory for the Continental Army and a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War. -
Bill to Prevent the Importation of Slaves
In 1777 a bill was passed that prevented the practice of holding people in Slavery and importing them into the U.S. The Act as finally adopted was an amended version of the one originally introduced at the May 1777 session and not an entirely new bill. -
State Constitutions
Each of the colonies were urged by the Continental Congress to establish state constitutions, in effect officially taking power from the royal governors and bodies established by the king -
British captures Philidalphia
The British had captured Philadelphia following General George Washington’s defeats at the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of the Clouds. British General William Howe had made Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress, the focus of his campaign, but the Patriot government had deprived him of the victory he hoped for by moving its operations to the more secure site of York one week before the city was taken. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. -
Winter at Valley Forge
In December, 1777, General George Washington moved the Continental Army to their winter quarters at Valley Forge. The rebel capital, Philadelphia, fell into British hands. By the time the army marched into Valley Forge on December 19, they were suffering not only from cold, hunger, and fatigue, but from low morale in the wake of the disastrous Philadelphia Campaign. -
John Paul Jones and Serapis
During the American Revolution, the U.S. ship Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, wins a hard-fought engagement against the British ships of war Serapis and Countess of Scarborough, off the eastern coast of England. -
Spain Declares War on Great Britain
On June 21, 1779, Spain declares war on Great Britain, creating a de facto alliance with the Americans. Spain’s King Charles III would not consent to a treaty of alliance with the United States. The American Revolution had already spawned a world war between the two international powers of Britain and France. Spain’s entry into the imbroglio ensured that the British would have to spread their resources even thinner. -
Siege of Charlestown
This event was a success for the British during the American Revolution. Capture of the city and its harbor gave them a vital base from which to conduct operations. The loss of Charleston was a painful blow to the American cause, made even worse by the capture of over 2,500 Continentals and numerous vital weapons and supplies. -
The British surrender at Yorktown
The factor that caused the British to surrender at Yorktown was that Washington's soldiers outnumbered the British soldiers two to one, The army was completely defeated.The surrender of General Charles Cornwallis to General George Washington at Yorktown, Virginia, was the final battle of the American Revolution. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Jay negotiated the peace treaty with representatives of King George III of Great Britain. In the Treaty of Paris, the British Crown formally recognized American independence and ceded most of its territory east of the Mississippi River to the United States, doubling the size of the new nation and paving the way for westward expansion.
