ON THIS DAY ·
US Declaration of Independence adopted
The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”
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The moment in context
British troops left Boston on 19 April 1775 to seize colonial military stores. At Lexington and Concord they encountered militia, and on the return march they suffered heavy losses. The fighting began a war in which the opponents had different things to accomplish. Britain could take a city, but the rebels could continue fighting elsewhere. Washington had to keep the Continental Army from being destroyed in a decisive battle; as long as it survived, Congress could sustain the struggle and foreign governments could see a rebellion worth supporting.
From American Revolutionary War, chapter 2 of The Age of Revolutions, 1775–1848 (SEP 1783).
Teach this in 5 minutes
- Why it happened — The Atlantic and the cost of reconquest. An army fighting 3,000 miles from Britain depended on men and supplies sent by sail; an order and its answer could take three months. Distance…
- The turn — Saratoga, 17 October 1777. The British plan called for three columns to converge on Albany. They did not meet: Howe went to Philadelphia, while Burgoyne advanced south and…
- What it changed — Written constitutions as examples. American state constitutions, followed by the federal Constitution of 1787, offered a working precedent for government under written, ratified and…
Then ask the room: Britain had a powerful navy, great resources and a professional army. Could it ever have won? The argued answer is on the chapter page →
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