After forcing the British troops out of Boston, Washington decided to move his troops down the New York, believing that if the British were to return, they would come for there. Meanwhile, Thomas Paine, a political philosopher, wrote a pamphlet called “Common Sense”, wherein he advocated for independence from Britain. It spread across the nation and became one of the best selling American titles. This pamphlet brought the idea of independence into the mainstream, meaning that congress began considering it seriously. Thomas Jefferson wrote an official Declaration of Independence. On July 2nd, Congress voted unanimously in favour of independence, with the independence taking effect on July 4th. The United States of America was born.
Due to viewing this declaration of independence as treason, King George sent 130 warships down to New York with 25,000 soldiers for a ground invasion. They set up camp on Staten Island whilst the Americans set up on Brooklyn Heights. However, the British did not attack, instead allowing the American’s nerves to wear down. After an artillery barrage, the British hit hard, having one half of their army attack Washington’s men from the front, while the other half looped from the back and flanked them. The American forces ended up being pushed back to the East River.
Between a rock and a hard place, Americans began to believe that the war was already lost. However, the British decided to entrench themselves around the Continental Army as a thick fog set in, allowing the Americans to cross the river undetected. However, they were chased by the British, suffering defeat after defeat. Washington’s leadership began being called into question as they were pushed all the way back the the New Jersey-Pennsylvania border. Never in human history was an army so badly beat but yet was still around to fight another day.