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Common Sense
In January 1776, a 50-page pamphlet titled Common Sense was published in Philadelphia. The pamphlet stimulated broad support for independence. The author, Thomas Paine, called King George III a "royal brute." Paine ridiculed the very idea of rule by kings. Americans, he said, would be far betteroff if they governed themselves. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independence is a brilliant piece of writing. Building on the ideas of the Enlightenment, it uses step-by-step logic to explain why the colonists wanted to break away from British rule. -
Crossing the Delaware
On Christmas night, 1776, Washington led 2,400 men across the river in small boats. Soldiers huddled in the boats as the spray from the river froze on their faces. Once acrross the river, the soldiers marched in the swirling snow. On the far bank, the men trudged several miles with Washington urging them on. Early on December 26, they attacked Trentonfrom two sides, achieving complete surprise. -
Help From Overseas
Soon after Saratoga, France agreed to openly support American independence. In February 1778, France officially formed an alliance with the United States. -
American Traitor
Early in the war Arnold fought bravely for the Patriots. But Arnold felt Congress undervalued him. He plotted to turn West Point, a key fort on the Hudson River in New York, over to the British. When the plot was discovered in September 1780, Arnold escaped. He and his Loyalist soldiers then staged a series of destructive raids in Virginia. -
Treaty of Paris
Peace talks led to an agreement, the Treaty of Paris. Britian recognized the independence of the United States. The boundaries of the new nation were set at the Atlantic on the east, Canada on the north, the Mississippi River on the west, and Florida on the south.
