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On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by the Continental Congress. This act was only the first step towards the creation of the United States. The United States then fought a seven year war to cement its independence from England. The successful fight for independence has had a remarkable impact on world history over the past 200 years. The United States gradually transformed itself from a former colony into a superpower. The impact of this revolution cannot be ignored.

5. John Ferling, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195382927/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0195382927&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=6c52d967e3cdd801e16d873e3ab2e74a Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence]</i> (Oxford University Press, 2009) Ferling's single volume history of the American Revolution explores how the nascent national government defeated the British. Ultimately, the colonies and George Washington wore down the British and forced them out of the former colonies. Ferling book is fantastic place to start learning about the American Revolution.

6. David Hackett Fischer, <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019518159X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019518159X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=5818ac0be2c251f25f73965bad4c98ac Washington's Crossing]</i> (Oxford University Press, 2005) - Fischer's Washington Crossing also won the Pulitzer Prize for history. Instead of looking at the entire revolutionary war, Fischer focuses on Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the defeat of the Hessian soldiers in Trenton. Washington's victory was critical for the survival of the American colonies and Fischer's book explores the people (on both sides) who were involved in this military action. He shows how small actions by different actors on both sides can alter the course of history.