The Birth of the Republic: 1763-1789.
The American people were fighting their most formidable enemy that they would face, the British. At stake was the greatest thing that the Americans could have ever dreamed of, their freedom. The colonists had a heightened amount of interaction among themselves and the British, but along with this heightened amount of interaction, came quarrels among the two sides. The colonists soon coined the term "no taxation without representation" and soon after "no legislation without representation." These would be the two major, defining arguments among the British and the American people. The Americans went from an unorganized, group of vigilantes into well trained, grouped military forces. These forces would be the main strength that the American colonists would use to fight, win, and defend their freedom.
The creators of the Declaration of Independence had some foresight into its success, even though their country had to face the strongest military power at the time. The main part of the American army was militia men. Even though the Americans had lacked a formalized Army, the militia that it possessed was very effective in the determent of the British troops. The battle at Bunker Hill in 1775 proved this. The uncoordinated militia had met the British forces and overwhelmed them. Later in 1776, Washington was able to use the militia men to push the British out of Boston, forcing them to retreat to Halifax, Nova Scotia. The greatest asset that the Americans had was their desire to be free.
The Revolution was inevitably about the Americans will to be free, and the British were no match for the American aspiration. When the British began to build up forces on Staten Island with several thousand troops, the militia fought against it, which led to the Battle of Long Island on August 26, 1776. Even though the Americans lacked the experience, the British had too cautious of leaders, after pushing Washington across the Delaware River; General Howe ordered a halt for winter.