Changes

==The New Nation==

==The New Nation==

[[Image:76485685i79.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''The Signing of the Declaration of Independence'', by John Trumbull (1817–1819)]]

[[Image:76485685i79.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''The Signing of the Declaration of Independence'', by [[John Trumbull]] (1817–1819)]]

The [[Declaration of Independence]] on July 4, 1776, established a new nation and transformed a limited uprising to secure rights within the British Empire into a far-reaching revolution aimed at complete independence from British control. Since the King and his ministers had determined to restore British rule, the Americans now faced a long, hard struggle for independence that required a sustained national effort such as they had not expected in 1775.  

The [[Declaration of Independence]] on July 4, 1776, established a new nation and transformed a limited uprising to secure rights within the British Empire into a far-reaching revolution aimed at complete independence from British control. Since the King and his ministers had determined to restore British rule, the Americans now faced a long, hard struggle for independence that required a sustained national effort such as they had not expected in 1775.