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The colonies declared independence from Britain on July 4th, 1776. Thomas Jefferson wrote most of this document. -
American troops won an important victory at Saratoga. It helped convince France to join the war and help the Americans. -
Congress approved the Articles of Confederation on November 15th, 1777. It was fully ratified on March 1st, 1781 and made a weak national government. -
Washington's army stayed at Valley Forge during the winter. It was very cold and hard, and many soldiers died from hunger and illness. They stayed from December 19th, 1777-June 19th, 1778 -
France signed a treaty with the U.S. on February 6th, 1778. This brought French soldiers and ships to help fight Britain. -
The British army surrendered at Yorktown, VA. This ended most of the fighting in the Revolutionary War. -
The war officially ended with the Treaty of Paris. Britain recognized the United States as a free country. -
Angry farmers in Massachusetts started a rebellion. They were upset about high taxes and losing their land. -
Leaders met in Philadelphia to fix the government. They decided to write a new Constitution instead. -
This law helped organize land north of the Ohio River. It said new states could join the U.S. and banned slavery in that area. -
The new Constitution was signed by the delegates on this day. It created a stronger national government with three branches. -
The first ten amendments were added to the Constitution on this date. The protect important freedoms like speech, religion, and fair trial.