Washington's Leadership Changes the Course of the Revolutionary War

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George Washington and the Battle of Trenton
Christmas 1776: Forging Ahead for Freedom
Washington Crossing the Delaware by Leutze
A Revolutionary Crossing
Hardly six months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Continental Army faced a dire predicament as winter approached in 1776. Led by General George Washington, the Continental Army had not won a single significant battle and had suffered several major defeats. They were in desperate need of a victory.

However, Washington remained steadfast in his commitment to American independence, and developed a plan in which his army would launch a Christmas surprise attack on Trenton, New Jersey.

On Christmas morning 246 years ago, Washington stood on a small rowboat gazing across the frozen banks of the Delaware River separating Pennsylvania and New Jersey, ready to lead his fatigued troops in a perilous surprise attack against the British forces, which included well-trained, well-equipped Hessian mercenaries.

The odds of winning were low. Washington’s strategy: a top-secret mission hinging on a river crossing and a pre-dawn attack on the enemy at Trenton.

In the midst of a brutal winter storm, some 2,000 soldiers and Washington himself braved the frigid cold and crossed the ice-choked Delaware river on December 25th, reaching Trenton by 8am and capturing a completely unprepared garrison of Hessian mercenaries hired by the British to fight against the Americans.
A Major Turning Point
The victory at the Battle of Trenton not only provided Washington's army with much-needed arms and ammunition, but it also quickly bolstered American morale.

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Washington’s iconic battle plan – crossing the river for a surprise attack, undaunted by the elements, for victory at Trenton – is now recognized by historians as a watershed event in the war, indeed, a turning point for American independence.
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About the Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center is a nationwide network of political scholars, historians, and civics teachers who seek to pass along the meaning of America to the next generation.

We have three strategies to pursue this mission:
1. build and sustain a community of scholars in the fields of American political thought and history;
2. restore the teaching of American citizenship in K-12 schools that centers on the country’s history, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other foundational texts in the American tradition; and
3. partner with organizations and philanthropists to advance civic education that is grounded in America’s founding principles and history.

We are building a movement of educators and citizens to advance the principles of equality, liberty, and opportunity that lie at the heart of the American political tradition.

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