This Fourth Of July, Let’s Not Forget The Significance Of 1775

Next year will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a significant milestone for the nation. Still, the build-up to next year’s celebration may already be overshadowing a year just as important in the history of the United States as 1776, namely 1775.

That isn’t to say that we’re ignoring some noteworthy events, as last month’s massive, and arguably underwhelming, military parade in Washington, D.C., was held to mark the 250th birthday of the United States Army, which was founded as the Continental Army in June 1775. It was just one of several such commemorations that have garnered regional attention, such as this past April’s celebration marking the 250th anniversaries of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, followed by the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and the Battle of Bunker Hill.

This fall will also mark the milestone anniversary of the Noble Train of Artillery, in which Colonel Henry Knox—namesake for Fort Knox—brought the captured cannons from Ticonderoga to Boston using boats, ox-drawn sledges, and simple pure determination.

“We place too much attention on 1776 in the way we commemorate the American Revolution. At the end of the day, Americans won their independence because they won the war and triumphed at the peace negotiations that followed – not because of what they declared in 1776,” acknowledges Dr. Benjamin Carp, professor of history at the City University of New York.

For those in New England, these and other deeds aren’t forgotten, but perhaps more attention could be paid on the national level, said Dr. Robert J. Allison, professor of history at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts.

“There is sometimes the joke that the revolution happened here in New England and then the Continental Congress went to Philadelphia to fill out the paperwork,” Allison explained.

Yet, the year 1775 has been getting significantly less attention than the recent performance by English rockers The 1975 at the Glastonbury festival!

“Americans are already focused on 2026, America’s semiquincentennial,” added Dr. Joanne B. Freeman, professor of history and American studies at Yale University. “But the events of 1775 have much to tell us about 250 years ago this year. That year, British colonists were stunned to learn that their own army—British regulars—had fired on British subjects at Lexington and Concord, killing their own people.”

More Than A Single Day

The significance of July 4, 1776, also can’t be overstated, even as the Continental Congress voted in favor of declaring independence from Great Britain two days earlier. Yet, there is less emphasis on how it got there.

“One thing about 1775 is that very few Americans were thinking in the concept of independence,” said Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution. “That changed rapidly between the summer of 1775 and 1776. One of the major events that happened is when King George III of the United Kingdom declared it an act of open rebellion.”

That called for the full might of the British Empire to suppress it, an action that resulted in many Americans seeing the king turn his back on the people.

“Until that point, the fight was about restoring the rights and liberties as citizens in the British Empire,” Skic continued.

“America was trying to prove that its long list of grievances justified its bid for independence, and they wanted to undermine the British war effort and secure foreign aid,” said Carp. “Beyond that, much of the American public was already convinced, and they needed to remain inspired enough to support the army in the field.”

What Happened In New England Didn’t Stay In New England

It is also important while New England, notably Boston, is often regarded as the birthplace of the Revolution, the events there helped unite the independence movement throughout the colonies.

“We can see that in 1775, many Americans did not want to fight and hoped to live peacefully with their neighbors. But the blood spilled at Lexington and Concord put into motion events that would lead to armed conflict,” said Dr. Franklin D. Rausch, professor of history at Lander University in South Carolina.

“The establishment of the Provincial Congress, a challenge to the royal governor, here in South Carolina, would increasingly force people to choose sides,” Rausch explained.

And as armed camps grew, so did the need for weapons and ammunition. That was as true in the southern colonies as it was up north.

“It was a struggle over such supplies that led to the bloodless seizure of Fort Charlotte by Whig forces in July 1775,” suggested Raucsh. “And a similarly bloodless seizure of powder and destruction of lead destined for the Cherokee by King’s Friends, led eventually to the first bloodletting in the south — the 1775 November Siege of Savages’ Old Fields.”

Only a handful of people were killed, and the battle ended in a draw; yet, the Snow Campaign and the suppression of Loyalists soon followed. It would be the first great divide, even as the country had yet to come into existence. Like the bloody American Civil War eight decades later, it pitted neighbor against neighbor.

“They would rise again in mass in 1780 with the British seizure of Charleston,” said Raucsh. “Hardened and angered by years of suffering, many Loyalists would seek vengeance, making for a very bloody civil war in the backcountry. 1775 helped set the stage for the violence that was yet to come, while also reminding us that many Americans hoped to work peacefully and look to their families before the crisis drove them to arms.”

In addition, 1775 was also the year that American soldiers put literal books on the ground on foreign land, with the invasion of Canada. That and other campaigns could be described as best left forgotten, which could also explain why the year doesn’t always get acknowledged as much as it should.

Carp noted that the colonies almost “lost the war during the disastrous campaigns of New York and New Jersey later that year, not to mention the failure of the Canadian expedition earlier in the year.”

The Seeds Of International Recognition

Although France wouldn’t recognize the United States as an independent nation until February 6, 1778, the seeds of that recognition were already planted in 1775.

“France was already being seen as a potential ally,” said Skic. “There was already support in 1775 to send envoys to Spain and France, and that desire for international support was what helped prompt the eventual declaration of independence.”

Building To Next Year

The goal for the rest of 2025 should be to commemorate the lead-up to the 250th anniversary, while not overlooking its significance every year. The American Revolution isn’t something that should only be noted on major milestones or when Mel Gibson stars in a big-budget film about it.

“We launched Revolution 250 to get excited about this,” said Dr. Allison, noting the consortium of organizations that are working together to commemorate the anniversaries.

“This is about getting young people interested, and those born after 2000 or 2010 will hopefully be around to see the tercentennial,” he added. “But we should always be commemorating these events every year, not just these milestone years. It is important to get the story right and to get people excited about the story.”

That may be truer today than it was in 1876, a year that would go on to see a disputed election, or 1976, when the country was still divided over the recently concluded Vietnam War.

“1776 deserves its prize place in our national narrative,” said Freeman. “But when considering the Revolution and nationhood, don’t forget the threats and violence and thinking and planning that led to that dire step. Crises of the past have much to say to us today.”