French aid was vital to keeping the American cause going during the Revolutionary War. Diplomats Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin played important roles in securing that aid for the new nation.

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During the winter at Valley Forge, American soldiers suffered from a lack of adequate food and shelter. Martha Washington and the daughter of Benjamin Franklin, Sarah Franklin Bache, rallied support for the troops, supplying them with 2,200 shirts and 400 pairs of stockings. Foreign volunteers, such as Baron von Steuben the Marquis de Lafayette, provided their support.

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The American cause suffered a series of setbacks in 1777 until the decisive American victory at the Battle of Saratoga. But a long, hard winter lay ahead at Valley Forge.

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George Washington knew he had to rally Americans to support the Revolution after a series of defeats. On Christmas Day, 1776, Washington led the Continental Army across the ice-choked Delaware River in a bold attack against Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, New Jersey.

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Victory in the American Revolution was not a sure thing. Early defeats threatened to stop the revolution in its tracks. In the face of these setbacks, Washington saw the need to convince Americans to support the Revolution with a series of bold raids.

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The Articles of Confederation was our nation's first constitution, but it had its problems.

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It was the "shot hear 'round the world." On April 19, 1775, skirmishes between American colonists and British soldiers broke out in the towns of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. News of the American rebellion and its demand for independence spread all over the world. The American Revolution would inspire other nations to declare their independence from colonial masters.

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About 15 to 20 percent of the American population were Loyalists during the American Revolution, maintaining their allegiance to the British Crown. Many Loyalists were landowners, wealthy merchants, or officials of the king, but Loyalists came from all walks of life.

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Historians estimate that Loyalists composed 15 to 20 percent of the American population, Patriots composed 40 to 45 percent, and the rest were undecided.

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The Declaration of Independence contains a long list of complaints against the King George III.

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