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Common Sense
Published in 1776, Common Sense fought the authority of the British government and the royal monarchy. The plain language that Paine used spoke to the ordinary people of America and was the start to ask for independence from Great Britain. -
Declaration of Independence
The main purpose of America's Declaration of Independence was to explain to foreign nations why the colonies had chosen to separate themselves from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence is the usual name of a statement chosen by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the 13 American colonies. The preamble became necessary for the 13 colonies to separate from Great Britain. These 13 colonies have the right to become a nation as authentic as any other nation. -
Retreat from New York
Redcoats under Generals William Howe and Charles Cornwallis proceed on to New York and tried to capture the Americans in Brooklyn. General George Washington responded by holding his ground until sundown and then retreating under cover of darkness. It was the first British sucess and the first of many legendary Washingtonian escapes. -
Crossing the Delaware
The whole army crossed the Delaware River, which was frozen stiff in places, on Christmas night, 1776, from Pennsylvania to the districts of Trenton, New Jersey. The battle lasted about 45 minutes and resulted in 900 Hessian prisoners. The Americans then marched on Princeton and won there too. They kept winning for the weary Americans, and they were also an opportunity to gain some badly needed guns and ammo. -
Battle of Saratoga
The turning point of the Revolutionary War is that it convinced France to enter the war on the side of the Americans. British General John Burgoyne came up with a brilliant idea to take all of New York away from the Americans. Burgoyne would advance south from Canada and plan to meet at Albany with Generals Barry St. Leger and William Howe. -
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Valley Forge
Pennsylvania encampment occupied by the American army from December 1777 to June 1778. The winter was particularly harsh, and the army was short on food, clothing, and supplies. But they hung on. The leadership of Commander-in-Chief George Washington and Baron von Steuben, the Prussian drill sergeant, kept the soldiers occupied and made them better, tougher soldiers in the end. -
Help from Overseas
He helped drill the American troops at Valley Forge during the awful winter there. His two assistants in this matter were Alexander Hamilton, General George Washington's personal aide, and General Nathanael Greene. In addition to instructing the soldiers in fighting, von Steuben also taught them better camp sanitation to help them. -
The War at Sea
He began fighting British ships in 1775, winning some extravagant victories. In 1777, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to France in order to refit his ship. From there, he coasted north to Britain and fought multiple battles there. One of these battles was against the Serapis and was the occasion on which Jones said his famous words. -
Brighter Days
American victory on October 7, 1780 near the North Carolina-South Carolina border that demolished one whole section of General Charles Cornwallis's army and forced him to give up to South Carolina to wait for reinforcements. It also gave American General Nathanael Greene time to reorganize his forces. The result was what some historians call the turning point in the war in the south. -
Final Battle of Yorktown
American win that finsihed the Revolutionary War on October 20, 1781. British General Charles Cornwallis had encountered defeat in the south, at Cowpens, and his force had been continually weakend, especially by American General Nathanael Greene at Guilford Courthouse. Cornwallis left the Carolinas and proceeded north to Yorktown, Virginia, there to await reinforcements from General Henry Clinton, who was busy in the north. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris of 1783, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, finished the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. The Continental Congress labled a five-member commission to negotiate a treaty–John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens,
