Top 10 Major Events of the American Revolution

On July 2nd (yes July 2nd), 1776, America's Continental Congress signed off to declare its independence from Great Britain. This made the war less about representation and change in Britain's political system and more about America becoming free and starting a new country. This document would represent a relatively new type of political system; democracy. This new nation would implement the ideas of rule of law, limited government, equality, and the freedom of people. It was ironically revolutionary.

The Battle of Bunker Hill is incredibly underrated in terms of importance. Taking place on June 17th, 1775, The Battle of Bunker Hill may be considered a loss for the Americans, but it was in fact a win for the Americans. The Americans stood their ground on Breed's Hill (yes, most of the fighting did not take place on Bunker Hill) and if it wasn't for being severely outnumbered, the Americans would have won. They kicked England's butt and it was a huge morale boost for America. It showed a ragtag force of revolutionaries could beat the superior English army.

The Battle of Yorktown would be the final major battle of Revolutionary War. It took place from September to October 1781. George Cornwallis, the main British commander, went to Yorktown expecting reinforcements. He got none. The subsequent blockade and siege by the Patriots and the French would force him to surrender. That effectively ended the war, insured the fact that the French were valuable allies, and cemented George Washington as a great leader.

The shot fired around the world. This is the official starting point of the Revolution to most people. On April 19th, 1775 the first shots of the Revolution unless you consider the Boston Massacre the start of the War. The Revolutionaries get beat at Lexington, but they would end up beating the British at Concord and would harass them all the way to Boston. Pog moment most definitely. Legendary start to the war.

The Battle of Saratoga was vital to America's hope. It was very decisive. It took place in September and October of 1777. It was technically two battles at the same location 18 days apart. The victory for America would be enough for both France and Spain to join the war, supporting America.

I think this battle and ultimately victory for the patriots should be #1. It was the turning point of the war. It gave the troops a desperately needed morale boost, but even more significant was the effect it had on the French, Spanish, and Dutch…convincing them to join the war on the side of the patriots against their mutual enemy, the British.

On June 19th, 1775, George Washington would get appointed as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. This would end up being one of the best decisions we ever made in the history of our country. His plan was not to win ever battle, but instead to never lose decisively. It would end up working.

On Christmas Night, 1776, George Washington decided to take the boldest risk in the history of warfare. After losing quite a few battles, Washington need a big victory. He decided to take the risk of crossing the Delaware river and face a group of German Hessians. It was a massive surprise and Washington got his vital win. This win would set up another crucial victory in Princeton.

In 1777, the Revolutionaries were doing very bad going into the winter months. They were forced to stay in Valley Forge where the winter was particularly rough. Washington struggled to keep his men in the camp or even alive. However good would come out of Valley Forge. Washington hired Baron von Steuben to train the troops. It was an absolute game changes, as Steuben made the soldiers more uniform and disciplined.

The Treaty of Paris was the treaty that officially ended the war. The treaty made Great Britain recognize the United States. Pretty self explanatory.