Top 10 Major Events of the American Revolution

On July 2 (yes, July 2), 1776, America's Continental Congress declared 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 represented a relatively new type of political system: democracy. This new nation would implement the ideas of the 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 17, 1775, the battle may be considered a loss for the Americans, but it was in fact a win for them. The Americans stood their ground on Breed's Hill (yes, most of the fighting did not take place on Bunker Hill).

If it wasn't for being severely outnumbered, the Americans would have won. They significantly challenged the British forces, providing a huge morale boost for America. It showed that a ragtag force of revolutionaries could stand against the superior English army.

The Battle of Yorktown was the final major battle of the Revolutionary War. It took place from September to October 1781. General Cornwallis, the main British commander, went to Yorktown expecting reinforcements. He received none.

The subsequent blockade and siege by the Patriots and the French forced him to surrender. That effectively ended the war, ensured the fact that the French were valuable allies, and cemented George Washington as a great leader.

The shot heard around the world. This is the official starting point of the Revolution to most people. On April 19, 1775, the first shots of the Revolution were fired, unless you consider the Boston Massacre the start of the war.

The revolutionaries were beaten at Lexington, but they ended up defeating the British at Concord and harassing them all the way to Boston. It was a 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 was enough for both France and Spain to join the war, supporting America.

I think this battle and ultimate 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 19, 1775, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. This ended up being one of the best decisions in the history of our country.

His plan was not to win every battle, but instead to never lose decisively. It ended up working.

On Christmas Night, 1776, George Washington decided to take the boldest risk in the history of warfare. After losing several battles, Washington needed a big victory. He decided to take the risk of crossing the Delaware River to 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 poorly 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 changer, as Steuben made the soldiers more uniform and disciplined.

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