* July 4: The United States Declaration of Independence is signed.
* August 27: The Battle of Long Island is the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
* September 15: The British capture New York City.
* December 25: George Washington crosses the Delaware River and captures Trenton, New Jersey.
1777
* January 2: The Battle of Princeton is a victory for the Americans.
* August 16: The Battle of Bennington is a victory for the Americans.
* October 17: The British surrender at Saratoga, New York.
* November 15: The Articles of Confederation are signed.
1778
* February 6: France recognizes the United States as an independent nation.
* April 6: France and the United States sign a treaty of alliance.
* June 28: The British evacuate Philadelphia.
* July 3: The Battle of Monmouth is a draw.
1779
* August 19: The Sullivan Expedition is a successful American campaign against the Iroquois Confederacy.
* September 23: The French and American forces fail to capture Savannah, Georgia.
1780
* May 12: The British capture Charleston, South Carolina.
* August 16: The Battle of Camden is a victory for the British.
* October 7: The Battle of Kings Mountain is a victory for the Americans.
1781
* January 17: The British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia.
* September 3: The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the American Revolutionary War.
1783
* April 19: The last British troops evacuate New York City.
* November 3: The Continental Congress ratifies the Treaty of Paris.