Most Americans believe that the Declaration of Independence by
the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 began American
independence. While this date announced the formal break between
the American colonists and the “mother country,” it did not
guarantee independence. Not all Americans favored independence
and most historical estimates place the number of Loyalist, or
Tory, Americans near one-third of the population. Winning
independence required an eight-year war that began in April,
1775 and ended with a peace treaty finalized on September 3,
1783. Unfortunately the infant nation found itself born in a
world dominated by a superpower struggle between England and
France. The more powerful European nations viewed the vulnerable
United States, correctly, as weak and ripe for exploitation.
Tragically, few Americans know of this period of crisis in our
nation’s history because of the irresponsible neglect of the
American education system. American independence marked the end
of one chapter in American history and