George Washington in 1776
For George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army since his appointment by the Second Continental Congress in June 1775, the year 1776 encompassed both his first great triumph and t...
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George Washington in 1776
For George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army since his appointment by the Second Continental Congress in June 1775, the year 1...
Political Events
View All Political EventsFrench Alliance & Diplomacy (1776–1778)
The Treaty of Alliance signed on February 6, 1778, formalized the political a...
British Opposition to the War: Edmund Burke and Char...
In 1776, Whig politicians Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox emerged as leadi...
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, adopted on September 28, 1776, was the...
Spanish Crown and Colonial Policy in 1776
Spain maintained vast American territories in 1776, pursuing a cautious imper...
Military Events
View All Military EventsBattle of Trenton
The Battle of Trenton was fought on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Tren...
Henry Clinton and British Generalship in the 1776 Ne...
Henry Clinton, Howe's most capable subordinate commander, orchestrated the am...
Battle of Fort Washington
The Battle of Fort Washington, fought on November 16, 1776, was one of the wo...
Battle of White Plains
The Battle of White Plains was fought on October 28, 1776, near the village o...
Science & Discovery
View All Science & DiscoverySmallpox Inoculation in the Continental Army
George Washington's mandate requiring inoculation of Continental Army troops,...
Alessandro Volta's Discovery of Methane
In November 1776, the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta identified a flammab...
David Bushnell's Turtle: The First Submarine Used in...
On the night of September 6–7, 1776, Sergeant Ezra Lee piloted a hand-powered...
David Hume's Death and Philosophical Legacy
David Hume, one of the most influential philosophers of the Scottish Enlighte...