On July 4, 1776, the of what would later become the United States of America, ratified the Declaration of Independence, which outlined their to become a new nation free from the of England. By that time, the Revolutionary War had already begun between the colonies and England, and several battles had already taken place. The war was long and deadly. the fact that the Patriot army was untrained and lacked the supplies of the enemy, they won several battles, including the Battle of Saratoga. In 1778, Benjamin Franklin an with France which resulted in the French sending generals, soldiers, arms and supplies to help the Patriots the British. Nearly two years after the Patriot victory at Yorktown, the British finally surrendered and the colonies as a free nation.