3.3Winning the war

The War of Independence lasted eight years. The Continental Army under George Washington rarely won decisive victories but survived, wearing down British resolve. The turning point came at Saratoga (1777), whose American victory persuaded France to enter the war as an ally, bringing crucial money, troops, and naval power.

The decisive blow fell at Yorktown (1781), where a combined American and French force trapped a British army. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and generous borders stretching to the Mississippi. Independence was won, but the fragile confederation of states now faced the harder task of governing itself.