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The Battle of Assunpink Creek
Washington was trapped against a river, and he slipped away in the night.
Coming January 2
Dossier 05
Founding & Revolution
An unfinished idea. A remarkable beginning.
The stories in this series
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Victory at Princeton
Washington rode within thirty yards of the British line to rally his men.
Coming January 3
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Benedict Arnold burns Richmond
The most famous traitor in American history came back wearing a red coat.
Coming January 5
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America's first presidential election
America's first presidential election had no campaign and only one real candidate.
Coming January 7
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Common Sense is published
A 47-page pamphlet by a recent immigrant talked America into independence.
Coming January 10
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Washington is elected unanimously
Every single elector voted for George Washington, the only president ever chosen unanimously.
Coming February 4
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The alliance with France
Benjamin Franklin signed the treaty that may have won the Revolution.
Coming February 6
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First salute to the Stars and Stripes
On Valentine's Day 1778, a foreign navy saluted the American flag for the first time.
Coming February 14
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The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
Patriots greased a bridge and won the Revolution's first big victory in the South.
Coming February 27
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The Newburgh Address
With one pair of glasses, Washington stopped a military coup.
Coming March 15
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West Point is founded
Thomas Jefferson signed the law that created the U.S. Military Academy.
Coming March 16
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The British leave Boston
Washington's cannons appeared overnight, and the British sailed away.
Coming March 17
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The Pilgrims' peace with Massasoit
A peace treaty made in 1621 lasted more than fifty years.
Coming March 22
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Give me liberty or give me death
Patrick Henry's most famous words were spoken inside a church.
Coming March 23
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The Naval Act of 1794
Pirates attacking American ships convinced Congress to build a navy.
Coming March 27
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Washington's first veto
George Washington waited three years before he ever said no to Congress.
Coming April 5
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Lexington and Concord
Nobody knows who fired first, but by nightfall a war had begun.
Coming April 19
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John Paul Jones raids England
In 1778, an American captain landed on the coast of England itself.
Coming April 23
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Join, or Die
America's first political cartoon was a snake chopped into pieces.
Coming May 9
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The capture of Fort Ticonderoga
At dawn, a few dozen men took a British fort without a fight.
Coming May 10
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The fall of Charleston
The worst American defeat of the Revolution came at Charleston, South Carolina.
Coming May 12
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New England's Dark Day
In 1780, the sun disappeared over New England at midday.
Coming May 19
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The Constitutional Convention opens
They met in secret, with the windows shut, in a hot Philadelphia summer.
Coming May 25
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Washington's first battle
A 22-year-old named George Washington fired shots that started a world war.
Coming May 28
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Rhode Island finally says yes
The last of the 13 states joined the Union by just two votes.
Coming May 29
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The Lee Resolution
Before the Declaration, there was a single sentence: "these United Colonies are... free."
Coming June 7
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The burning of the Gaspee
Rhode Islanders burned a British ship 18 months before the Boston Tea Party.
Coming June 9
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Lafayette arrives in America
A 19-year-old French nobleman bought his own ship to join a war.
Coming June 13
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The Army is born
The U.S. Army is older than the United States itself.
Coming June 14
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Bunker Hill
The British won the hill, but lost more than a thousand men taking it.
Coming June 17
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The Great Seal of the United States
It took Congress six years and three committees to design America's seal.
Coming June 20
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New Hampshire makes it law
With one vote in New Hampshire, the Constitution became the law of the land.
Coming June 21
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The Declaration Is Adopted
Fifty-six men put their names on a document that could hang them.
Coming July 4
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Four Bullets Through His Coat
Young George Washington should have died at the Monongahela.
Coming July 9
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The Burr-Hamilton Duel
The sitting vice president shot a founding father on a New Jersey ledge.
Coming July 11
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The Northwest Ordinance
Before the Constitution, Congress banned slavery in a territory larger than France.
Coming July 13
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Lafayette, Major General at 19
A 19-year-old French aristocrat offered to fight for America for free.
Coming July 31
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The Coast Guard Is Born
Alexander Hamilton asked for ten boats. He got the Coast Guard.
Coming August 4
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Battle of Bennington
John Stark told his men they'd win, or Molly Stark would be a widow.
Coming August 16
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The King Declares a Rebellion
King George III declared the colonies in open rebellion, ending any hope of compromise.
Coming August 23
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The Maryland 400
A few hundred Marylanders charged again and again so an army could escape.
Coming August 27
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The Night Escape from Brooklyn
Fishermen from Marblehead rowed an entire army to safety under the enemy's nose.
Coming August 29
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The Treaty of Paris
Eight years of war ended with signatures in a Paris hotel.
Coming September 3
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The Battle That Trapped Cornwallis
America's independence was decided in a sea battle with no Americans in it.
Coming September 5
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Fort Griswold
Benedict Arnold came home to Connecticut to burn it.
Coming September 6
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The Turtle: America's First Submarine
A one-man wooden submarine tried to sink the British flagship.
Coming September 7
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The Birth of 'The United States'
Until this day, our country was officially called the United Colonies.
Coming September 9
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Knowlton's Rangers at Harlem Heights
America's first intelligence unit was led by a hero of Bunker Hill.
Coming September 16
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The Constitution Is Signed
Ben Franklin looked at a carved sun on Washington's chair and made a prediction.
Coming September 17
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Washington Says Goodbye
George Washington's most famous speech was never actually given aloud.
Coming September 19
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Nathan Hale
A 21-year-old schoolteacher volunteered to spy, and paid with his life.
Coming September 22
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I Have Not Yet Begun to Fight
His ship was sinking, and the British asked if he'd surrender.
Coming September 23
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Major André hangs at Tappan
Benedict Arnold escaped. The young British officer he dealt with did not.
Coming October 2
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Fog at Germantown
Washington lost the battle, but Europe noticed his army attacked anyway.
Coming October 4
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The Overmountain Men at Kings Mountain
A British major threatened the frontier. The frontier came to him.
Coming October 7
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Pulaski's last charge at Savannah
The father of the American cavalry was a Polish nobleman who died for us.
Coming October 9
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Arnold's fleet at Valcour Island
America's homemade navy lost the battle and may have saved the Revolution.
Coming October 11
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The Navy is born
Congress voted for two ships, and the United States Navy began.
Coming October 13
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Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga
A British general bet he would beat the Americans. He lost his whole army.
Coming October 17
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The world turned upside down at Yorktown
The Revolution was won as much at sea as on land.
Coming October 19
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The Marine Corps is born
The legend says the first recruits signed up in a tavern.
Coming November 10
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Margaret Corbin takes her husband's gun
When her husband fell at his cannon, she took his place.
Coming November 16
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Evacuation Day in New York
The British left one last insult: their flag nailed to a greased pole.
Coming November 25
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John Paul Jones raises the first flag
Before the Stars and Stripes, America's navy flew a flag with Britain's Union Jack.
Coming December 3
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Birth of the National Guard
The National Guard is older than the country it defends.
Coming December 13
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The death of George Washington
His last words were simple: 'Tis well.
Coming December 14
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The Bill of Rights is ratified
The Constitution almost failed because it lacked these ten amendments.
Coming December 15
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The army enters Valley Forge
You could follow the army by the bloody footprints in the snow.
Coming December 19
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Washington gives back his sword
King George reportedly said this act would make Washington the greatest man alive.
Coming December 23
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Victory at Trenton
The Revolution was nearly lost until one cold morning in New Jersey.
Coming December 26
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The Flushing Remonstrance
Thirty settlers defended Quakers they did not even share a faith with.
Coming December 27