Tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day, the traditional birthday of the United States of America.

But the struggle for American independence from the British crown began long before that day in Philadelphia when the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence.

The Continental Army, for example, was established by order of that Congress on June 14, 1775. The battles of Lexington and Concord had taken place in April of that year. The Founding Fathers saw the need for a central military force to unite and coordinate the ragtag militias and regiment...

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