The Turning Point of the Revolutionary War

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Watershed Moments in History:
The Battle of Saratoga: American Victory by Sheer Determination

This week marks the 245th anniversary of the Battle of Saratoga, a pivotal turning point in America’s fight for independence from British rule.

In September 1777, American patriots faced bleak prospects in their revolution against Great Britain. General George Washington suffered two devastating defeats that month and the British captured Philadelphia, the most populous city in colonial America (and the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence). Morale among the Americans was low, and many of the volunteer soldiers were farmers who wanted to return home to manage the fall harvest.

Meanwhile, British commanders had devised a sophisticated strategy to create a wedge between New England and the rest of the colonies so they could easily subdue the American rebels and bring a quick end to the American Revolution.

The Tenacity of Ordinary Americans
That fall the British launched a three-pronged attack on the colony of New York: General William Howe marched north from Philadelphia, General Barry St. Leger marched east from Lake Ontario, and General John Burgoyne marched south from Quebec.

The ferocious tenacity of the Americans, however, caught the highly trained and better equipped British armies by surprise. Both Howe and St. Leger’s armies became bogged-down by stiff American resistance throughout the New York countryside.
Word of Mouth Rallies American Militiamen
General Burgoyne’s army clashed with American forces outside of Saratoga on September 19. Although Burgoyne's army prevailed, American volunteer soldiers and militiamen wounded or killed twice as many as they themselves suffered.

Up to this point, few believed that the American forces could inflict such damage. But word of the battle spread like wildfire across the colonies. American militiamen from the neighboring colonies of Massachusetts and New Hampshire quickly rallied behind their countrymen and rushed into New York.

Eventually the American patriots surrounded General Burgoyne’s camp, forcing him to surrender his entire army on October 17, 1777.
By banding together, the determination of ordinary Americans completely disrupted the British strategy of dividing the colonies and foiled their plans to quickly overtake American forces.

Before this battle, American patriots were alone in their fight for independence. The victory at Saratoga convinced France, one of the most powerful nations in Europe, to support the American patriots. Spain soon followed suit. Even though the war would last four more grueling years, Saratoga gave Americans and key allies confidence that independence from Britain was possible.

How We Can Defend Our Nation Today
Civics education is on the minds of many Americans as our politics become less informed and more divisive.

In light of these issues, teachers of American civics and history are especially concerned over how best to present our country’s founding principles and history in an honest and responsible manner.

The patriots at Saratoga had a hard job defending America. How we defend our nation today is through knowledge. By teaching our young people about America’s history and founding principles, we will win the “battle for the soul of our nation” one classroom at a time.

Please consider a donation to the Jack Miller Center. Your support will help revitalize American Civics grounded in our founding principles and history.

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The battle for the soul of our nation will be won or lost in our
classrooms ™ — Jack Miller

At the Jack Miller Center, that battle is our sole mission. We are the boots on the ground, working to bring the America's founding principles and history back to the classroom. Please consider a tax-deductible gift ([link removed]) to JMC. Your donation, large or small, is an investment in the future of our country—for you, for your children, for your grandchildren.
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About the Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center is a 501(c)(3) public charity with the mission to reinvigorate education in America's founding principles and history. We work to advance the teaching and study of America's history, its political and economic institutions, and the central principles, ideas and issues arising from the American and Western traditions—all of which continue to animate our national life.

We support professors and educators through programs, resources, fellowships and more to help them teach our nation's students.
www.jackmillercenter.org

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