What George Washington Did on Christmas Changed Everything

On this episode of Our American Stories, the first American Christmas came just months after the Declaration of Independence. But by December, the mood across the colonies was anything but triumphant. Washington’s forces had been pushed back again and again. The army was cold, outnumbered, and on the brink of collapse. What happened on Christmas night turned the tide. With no guarantee of success, Washington led a quiet crossing of the Delaware and launched a surprise assault on Trenton. The victory didn’t end the war, but it gave people something they hadn’t had in weeks: hope. Historian Brian Benjamin shares a poem that tells the story behind one of the most important days in the fight for independence.

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